


A Part of Me

by jasam09andforever



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Core Four Friendship, Evie and Mal love baths, Evie-centric (Disney), F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Long-Distance Relationship, One Shot Collection, Panic Attacks, Protective Mal (Disney), Sick Evie, Sleepy Cuddles, Smut, Soft Mal (Disney), drunk Evie, not necessarily connected to each other, pregnant evie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:00:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 78,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasam09andforever/pseuds/jasam09andforever
Summary: As far as Mal is concerned, Evie is all that matters in the world. Love may be weakness in her mother's eyes, but she will do anything to keep her princess safe and happy.A series of one-shots that can stand alone, or possibly be connected.Current chapter- Car Accident: After Evie is in a car accident, Mal lets her protective side out even more than usual.
Relationships: Evie/Mal (Disney)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 281





	1. Sick

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any Evie/Mal prompts, let me know!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal has never been as worried as she is when Evie gets sick for the first time in Auradon.

Mal groaned when she heard her alarm go off. She looked at the clock and realized that she had to be in class in fifteen minutes. She was so jealous that on Thursdays, Evie didn’t have class in the morning. She glared at the other girl as she slept for a moment before dragging herself out of bed and into the bathroom. 

It didn’t take her long to get ready. She had already showered the night before, so all she really needed to do was brush her hair and teeth. She put on a little bit of makeup, then walked out. She was surprised to see Evie still asleep; normally, she would have already gotten up and started getting ready. 

“E, if you don’t get up, you won’t get to do your three hour long makeup routine!” Mal called out before grabbing an outfit from the closet. She changed, then grabbed her backpack and phone. “Eves, I’m leaving. You better get up!” she turned and ran out, trying to avoid having Fairy Godmother on her case. 

\-----

Mal’s first class dragged on for forever. She was happy once it was over; her next class was English and she sat next to Evie, which made it way more bearable. 

When she walked inside, she was surprised to see that her girlfriend’s seat was empty. Normally Evie beat her here since she didn’t have a class before this. She sat down and pulled out her phone, sending a quick message. 

_To: Princess  
Why aren’t you in class?_

The bell rang and the door shut, but there was still no sign of Evie. She didn’t respond to her message either, so Mal spent the entire class wondering where she could be. She was the first one out of her seat when it was time to leave. 

She had another class in twenty minutes, so she figured she had enough time to run back to the dorm. She unlocked the door and walked inside. 

Mal saw the lump on Evie’s bed. Her waist long blue hair was spilling all over her pillow, and the blankets were pulled up so high that Mal couldn’t see her face. She went over and kneeled on the ground in front of her, pushing her hair back. She couldn’t help her small smile when she was finally able to see her girlfriend’s features. 

“Hey.” She whispered, stroking Evie’s cheek. “Wake up, Princess.” 

Evie’s eyebrows furrowed. She turned away and immediately started to cough. Mal reached out, forcing her into a sitting position. Evie leaned her body against Mal’s, letting her support her weight. 

Mal pressed her lips against Evie’s forehead. She clearly had a fever, plus she was at least two shades paler than normal. 

“Mal.” Evie whimpered, her voice coming out raspy. 

“It’s okay, baby. I’m right here.” Mal sat next to her on the bed. After her coughing fit ended, she turned and buried her face in Mal’s neck. “What’s going on?” 

“I think I’m sick.” 

Mal couldn’t help but smile. “You’re definitely sick. What hurts?” 

“Everything. My body is so sore.” Evie scooted even closer. “I’m freezing.” 

“Let’s lay down.” Mal laid down first, then brought Evie into her arms. She made sure that she was covered up with the blankets, then worked on warming her up with her body heat. 

Mal could tell that Evie was drifting in and out of sleep. She didn’t care; she was content with just holding the girl. 

Evie shot out of the bed, running into the bathroom. Mal got up to follow just in time to see Evie slam down on her knees and empty her stomach into the toilet. 

“It’s okay.” She soothed. Mal ran her hands up and down Evie’s back. Others may have called her soft, but she didn’t care. She would do anything when it came to Evie. She reached out and gathered her beautiful hair into her hands, then tied it into a bun.

Evie threw up until there was nothing left in her stomach. She leaned back, resting against Mal’s chest. The purple haired girl helped Evie to her feet, then lifted her onto the bathroom counter. 

“Brush your teeth.” She said. She grabbed Evie’s toothbrush and put some toothpaste on it before handing it to her girlfriend. 

Evie reluctantly started to brush her teeth, but it only lasted a few seconds before she was gagging into the sink, her toothbrush clattering to the floor. That was when she started to cry, and if there was one thing in the world Mal couldn’t stand, it was watching Evie cry. 

“Calm down.” She whispered as she rubbed her back. 

Evie managed to throw up even more. Mal grabbed a washcloth from the closet and ran it under cold water. She wiped Evie’s face gently, seeing that she was drenched in sweat. She was already dressed in only a t-shirt and a pair of underwear, so there wasn’t much she could do there to help her cool off. 

“Mouthwash.” Mal tried this time. Evie took a drink of it and swished it around, spitting it out without vomiting. Mal helped her off the counter and walked with her to the bed, frowning at how obvious Evie’s pain was. 

Evie was still crying as she sat down, her raspy sobs making Mal’s heart clench. She sat down and pulled her girlfriend onto her lap, squeezing her protectively. 

“You’re alright, baby girl. I’m right here. I’m going to take care of you.” She kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, anywhere on her face that she could reach. Evie finally stopped crying, but Mal continued to hold her. 

“I’m sorry.” She whimpered. 

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.” Mal studied her. Evie’s face was completely free of make-up, her hair was a mess, and she definitely wasn’t in her best outfit. She knew Evie would hate the way she looked, but Mal absolutely loved when she looked like this. 

Someone knocked on the door and both girls groaned. Mal shifted Evie onto the bed and went over to open the door. Jay and Carlos stood in the doorway, their gaze drifting past Mal to Evie. 

“Why weren’t you in class?” Jay demanded as he barged in. 

“She’s sick.” Mal answered as she shut the door. She went back over to Evie’s bed and sat down, pulling the blue haired girl towards her. Evie straddled her lap, resting her head on Mal’s shoulder. That’s how Mal knew she was really sick; normally, she would have tried to pull it together for the boys, but she was pretty much admitting defeat. 

“What do you mean?” Carlos asked. 

“She’s throwing up, she has a fever, her body hurts.” Mal explained. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to Evie’s temple. She started to play with the hairs that escaped from Evie’s bun and were now glued to the sweat on the back of her neck. Evie gave a slight groan and kissed her shoulder in appreciation; one of her biggest weaknesses was having her hair played with. 

“Is there anything we can do?” Jay wondered. 

“She’s going to need something to eat.”

“No.” Evie whined as she sat up, looking at Mal. “I don’t wanna throw up.” 

“You need something to eat, E.” 

“I’m not hungry. Please.” 

“Did you get her some medicine?” Carlos questioned. He was holding his phone in his hand and clearly reading something. “Or take her temperature?”

“No, I didn’t take her to the nurse.” 

“There’s a suggestion for a bath with lukewarm water. It should help to lower her temperature.” 

“That’s a good idea.” Mal could feel how hot Evie was. She knew that her fever needed to be lowered. 

“I don’t want to.” Evie’s glossy eyes filled with tears. “Please, M. I just wanna sleep.” 

“Sorry Eves, but it’s for your own good.” Jay insisted. 

“I’ll start the water.” Carlos offered. “Come on, Jay.”

Mal was grateful that the two boys could tell when they needed a minute. She smoothed all the hair out of Evie’s face and wiped away the few tears that managed to escape from her eyes. 

“You’re really warm, baby. This is going to help you get better. I know you’re hurting and you just want to sleep, and after this, I promise you can.”

“Will you stay with me?” 

Mal could feel her eyes practically glowing. “There is nothing on Earth that could drag me away from you right now.” She gave her a quick kiss. “Come on.”

Evie reluctantly stood. Mal grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom where Jay and Carlos were waiting. 

“What can we do, Eves?” Carlos asked. 

“I’m okay.” She said, her voice cracking and betraying her. 

“We’ll go find medicine.” Jay stated. He looked to Mal and mouthed, “And food”. Both boys gave Evie a kiss on the head and then left. 

“Arms up.” Mal directed. Evie lifted her arms so Mal could pull her shirt over her head. Next, she grabbed the sides of her underwear and pulled them down, leaving Evie completely naked. “Get in.” 

Evie put one foot into the water and cried out. The achiness was already bad enough, but it felt a hundred times worse with the addition of the cold water. 

“Sit down.” Mal encouraged. 

“I can’t.” Evie cursed herself when she felt the tears drip down her cheeks. “Please don’t make me, Mal. I just want to sleep. I’ll be better, don’t make me stay in here.” 

“Evie.” Mal whispered, obviously not knowing what to do. She pulled her own shirt off, followed by her pants, then bra and underwear. Mal got into the water quickly, sitting down in the large tub. She reached her arms out and Evie sat down, turning her body so she could face her. Mal laid down as much as possible and pulled Evie on top of her. She untied her hair from the bun it was in and started to scratch her scalp. 

Mal alternated between rubbing her back and playing with her hair until Evie was asleep. The only problem now was that Mal couldn’t get up without waking the other girl. 

It wasn’t long before Mal heard a knock on the bedroom door. She hoped that the boys were smart enough to just let themselves in, and she figured she was right when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. 

“Come in.” she called out, moving her hands to cover Evie’s backside, knowing it was the only exposed part of either of their bodies. 

“Was she being stubborn?” Carlos said with a smile as he poked his head in. 

“Evie? No.” Mal sarcastically said. “Can you grab a towel for her and lift her out?” Carlos grabbed a big, fluffy blue towel from the closet. “Don’t look.” She growled.

“Promise.” Carlos lifted Evie easily, wrapping her in the blue towel. Mal grabbed a black towel that was sitting next to the tub and put it on herself. Carlos carried Evie into the bedroom, laying her down on her bed. She groaned and kept her hold on his arm. He just gave in and sat next to her, stroking her cheek. 

“Stay with her.” Mal demanded. She went into the closet and shut the door, coming back a moment later completely dressed. She looked to Jay, who was sitting on her bed with containers of food. “What did you bring?”

“A little of everything.” He told her before tossing a bottle of pills in her direction. “Give her two of these.” 

“Thanks.” Mal went over to Evie’s bed with the pills, a clean pair of underwear, and a fresh t-shirt. She slid the underwear on easily, but the t-shirt was a little harder. She pulled her into a sitting position and got the shirt over Evie’s head before she woke up. 

Evie groaned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She noticed Mal trying to help her get dressed and stuck her arms into the holes of the shirt. She could feel warmth and leaned over, resting her head against Carlos’s arm. 

Mal hung up Evie’s towel and returned with her girlfriend’s brush. As soon as she sat down, Evie opened her eyes. She loved Carlos, but there was no competition when it came to who she would rather cuddle with. Even as sick as she was, she crawled across the bed and laid her head in Mal’s lap. 

Mal whispered reassurances to her as she ran the brush through her hair, working carefully to detangle all the knots. Then, she just ran her fingers through the silky blue strands. 

“You need to take medicine.” She finally told her. 

“I need sleep.” Evie countered. 

“Take the medicine and then you can.” Mal opened the bottle and took out two pills. “Open.” 

Evie did as she said and Mal put the pills onto her tongue. She grabbed a water bottle from Evie’s bedside table and helped her drink from it. Now that she was finished, Evie pouted. 

“Nothing else. I just need you.” 

“Lay down then.” 

Evie complied immediately. Carlos had gotten up and was standing over by Jay now. Mal gave them a small smile- she didn’t really care if they stayed or left, but she hoped they knew she wasn’t going to entertain them. They seemed to have gotten the hint because they both stood up, leaving some food on Mal’s desk for the girls, and waved their goodbyes. 

Mal laid down next to Evie. As soon as she was settled, Evie scooted over, resting her head on Mal’s chest. She leaned down and kissed the top of her head. 

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Evie whispered. 

“You don’t ever have to thank me for that. It’s my job.” Mal pulled her even closer until she was practically on top of her. “I love you.”

“Love you.” Evie kissed Mal’s t-shirt right over her heart. The purple haired girl melted. She loved Evie more than anything. She really hoped that tomorrow would be a better day. 

\-----

When Mal woke up, the first thing she noticed was Evie screaming. She jolted awake, seeing that her girlfriend’s eyes were still shut. She realized she was having a nightmare. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” She whispered into Evie’s ear. She smoothed her hair back, frowning when her hand came into contact with Evie’s forehead. She was even hotter than she had been the night before. 

Mal forced Evie into a sitting position. She fell into Mal, her head resting against her chest. 

“E, wake up.” Mal urged, but there was no response. “You’re starting to freak me out. Come on, Evie.” She tickled her, played with her hair, scratched her back, but there was nothing. Evie didn’t even flinch. 

There was only one thing Mal could think of. She grabbed her phone, dialing a number quickly. 

“Hello?” 

“I need help. Get somebody and get to my room now.” She said, her voice coming out a lot more panicked than she meant it to. 

Mal stood, then reached out for Evie. While Mal was the shorter of the two, she was still stronger and Evie didn’t weigh a lot, so she was able to get her out of bed. She brought her into the bathroom and turned on lukewarm water. She climbed under the spray of the shower, fully clothed, still holding Evie up.

“No.” Evie muttered before breaking out into sobs. Mal thought she had gotten her to wake up, but when she turned her so she could see her face, she realized it didn’t work. 

“Please, baby.” Mal begged, kissing Evie’s face, neck, shoulders, anything she could reach. “Please wake up.” 

She could hear the door bust open. She looked over just in time to see Jay burst into the bathroom, his eyes wide and frantic. 

“What happened?” 

“She won’t wake up.” 

Jay came over to them. “Carlos went to get Fairy Godmother. She’ll know what to do.” 

Mal just kept rubbing Evie’s arms. “It’s like she’s stuck in a nightmare and I can’t help her. I woke up because she was screaming, but she won’t wake up and I can tell her fever is higher.” 

A moment later, Carlos came running into the room, clearly out of breath. A few seconds later, Fairy Godmother joined them. 

“What’s wrong, Mal?” she questioned. 

“She’s sick.” She said helplessly. “Please help her.” 

In all the time Fairy Godmother had known Mal, she had never heard her say please. She looked at how limp Evie was in her girlfriend’s arms and her heart clenched. 

“How long has she been sick?”

“Since yesterday morning. She was throwing up and she kept saying her body hurt.” 

“Did you take her to the nurse?” 

“No.” 

“We’re going to take her there now. They’ll know how to help her, Mal.” 

Jay stepped forward, reaching out for Evie. Mal’s eyes lit up bright green as she pulled Evie closer to her. 

“It’ll be easier for me to carry her.” Jay stated. 

Mal swallowed the lump in her throat. “Okay.” She allowed Jay to lift Evie out of the shower. 

“She needs dry clothes before we take her outside.” Fairy Godmother reminded the teens. It was winter, so they didn’t want to make Evie even sicker than she already was. 

Mal went into the closet, ripping down the first thing she saw. She ended up with a purple sweatshirt that actually belonged to her, a pair of underwear, and black leggings. 

With Carlos’s help, Mal was able to undress Evie and redress her. Mal changed quickly and then they were running out the door towards the nurse’s office.

\-----

Mal was pacing anxiously outside of her girlfriend’s hospital room. How had they gone from the nurse’s office to the hospital so quickly? She didn’t even remember the drive; all she could think about was how pale Evie was.

Jay and Carlos sat against the wall, but neither of them bothered to tell her to stop. After they ran frantically into the room with Evie safely in Jay’s arms, the nurse had ushered them all out. 

The door opened and Fairy Godmother came into the hallway. All three of them were in front of her in a second, fixing their best glares on their faces. 

“I’m going in.” Mal informed her. 

“Wait.” She moved so she couldn’t walk by. “Evie is sick because of a viral infection. It can spread through contact, like kissing.” She looked pointedly at the purple haired girl. “Right now, she can’t have any visitors because her fever is dangerously high.”

“What does that mean?” Jay demanded. 

“Her temperature was up to 105.2 when Nurse Allison checked. Who knows how much higher it was before she got in the shower and went outside? The best thing for Evie is to get some fluids into her system and some rest.” 

“No, the best thing for her is to have her family.” Mal insisted. 

Fairy Godmother sighed. “She still hasn’t woken up, and she has still been screaming and crying out. You are going to torture yourself by going in there and seeing how upset she looks and knowing you can’t help her.” 

Mal didn’t even wait for a response. Fairy Godmother was delusional if she thought that Mal wouldn’t be by Evie’s side if she was upset and in pain. She charged past the other woman and into the room. 

Evie was dressed in a hospital-style gown. She was tucked into sterile white sheets, and she had tubes coming out of her left arm. Mal had never seen her girlfriend look so incredibly small. 

“Hey Princess.” She greeted as she sat on Evie’s right side. She reached out and grabbed her hand, rubbing her thumb along her knuckles. “I’m here. You’re safe.” 

For a while, it was quiet. The TV was turned on and Mal stared blankly at the game show that was playing while Evie slept. After about an hour, the whimpering started. 

Mal tried to tune it out because she knew she couldn’t help her. But then, Evie’s breathing started to quicken and tears started to roll down her cheeks. 

“No…don’t touch me…Mami, help…please…NO!” she screamed, her voice getting louder with each word. 

“Evie, you’re okay.” Mal told her. She stood up, but wasn’t sure what to do. “You’re in Auradon. You’re safe here.” 

“NOOOOO!” Evie broke into sobs, the machines around her starting to beep. 

A few nurses came into the room, seeing what was going on. One of them had a needle in her hand and went to stick it in Evie’s arm, but Mal grabbed her wrist. 

“What is that?”

“It’s a sedative. It will help calm her down so she doesn’t hurt herself.”

Mal let her go and she stuck it in Evie’s arm, causing her to scream. Seconds later, her body stilled. 

“Why is she doing this?”

“The high fever is causing hallucinations. She’s delirious right now, so once we get her fever down, this should stop.” The nurse explained. “Are you okay, honey?”

Mal didn’t even realize she was crying until the woman asked. She couldn’t bring herself to hide her feelings; she was so worried about Evie. 

Time continued to pass and every so often, Evie would let out a groan or a whimper. She even started speaking in full sentences, though it was obvious they were from different points in time and not the same conversation. 

“I’ll be good, Mami…”

“Don’t let him touch me…” 

“I’m so hungry…”

“Leave me alone…”

“She’s going to kill me…”

Mal jumped up, charging out of the room. Jay and Carlos saw her and went towards her, but she moved past them and stormed up to where Fairy Godmother was standing near the nurses. 

“Are you telling me that there is seriously nothing that can be done to help Evie?” 

“Now Mal…” Fairy Godmother started. 

“No! She’s in there reliving every horrible moment she’s ever had in her life. Do you understand how it feels to hear the person you love most in the world beg for help and cry while telling people not to touch her?” 

“Sit down, Mal.” The older woman encouraged. 

“I need to be with her. She can’t be alone. Please just help her.” A tear slid down Mal’s cheek. 

Within seconds, Jay and Carlos were on either of her sides. They forced her to sit down and she rested her head on Jay’s arm while Carlos held her hand. 

“How about I go sit with Evie for a while? You three should go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I promise I will keep her safe, and I’ll call you if anything changes.” Fairy Godmother offered. 

“Thank you.” Carlos said before pulling Mal to her feet. “Let’s go, guys.” 

\-----

When Fairy Godmother saw the VKs a little while later, she was surprised. She had never seen them look so scared before. The boys hung back by the door, but Mal wasn’t shy. She came forward and sat down on the bed next to her girlfriend. She started to smooth her hair away from her face. 

“She’s still so warm.” She told the others. 

“Did you all get sick a lot on the Isle?” Fairy Godmother questioned. 

Carlos huffed out a laugh. “We had hardly any clean water, rotten food, and we lived in filth. Of course we got sick.”

“Not Evie.” Jay chimed in. “She was always raised like a princess, you know, so she took care of herself. Plus it’s not like her mom ever really let her eat any food anyway.”

“Maybe that was a blessing in disguise.” Carlos agreed. 

“Evie always took care of everyone.” Mal continued, surprising Fairy Godmother. She was never this open, and she knew that it was all because of the blue haired beauty laying in the bed in front of her. “Whenever we got sick, or other kids got sick, she took care of them. I don’t know how she knew how to do it, but she made everyone get better. Even when she wasn’t feeling well, she pushed it down and focused on other people.” Mal leaned down and kissed Evie’s forehead. “She was always way too good for the Isle.” 

Right then, Evie started to moan. Mal shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Fairy Godmother waited to hear what she would say. 

“Please, no more…Mami I don’t want to…” 

“Mal…” Jay tried touching the purple haired girl, but she flinched away from him. 

“It hurts…” Evie sobbed. 

“Listen to me, Evie.” Mal said firmly, putting her hands on Evie’s shoulders. “You’re safe, baby girl. It’s Mal and I’m going to keep you safe. You know I would never let anyone hurt you. Since the day I met you, I have protected you and I will keep protecting you for the rest of our lives. You are so, so strong and I know you can fight this. Just listen to my voice.” 

They all waited for what Evie would say next. “Mal?” She whispered. 

“Yeah baby, it’s Mal.” She laid down, wrapping the taller girl in her arms. “I’m here, E. You’re okay.” 

“Mal.” She whispered again, then quieted down. She let out a big sigh, her body relaxing into Mal’s. For the first time that night, she didn’t look so tense. 

Fairy Godmother watched the two girls. She had known they were close from the moment they stepped foot in Auradon, but they did try to keep the fact that they were dating a secret for a while. When she found out the truth, she wasn’t surprised. She had never seen two people who seemed as connected as Mal and Evie. 

“The things she’s saying…are they memories?” she asked no one in particular. 

“I think so.” Mal responded as she stroked Evie’s hair. 

“What is she remembering? She keeps bringing up her mom and begging people to stop and not hurt her.” 

All three kids visibly shrank. She was confident that she had overstepped and she wouldn’t be getting an answer, but then Jay spoke. 

“Her mom sucked. She made Evie do a lot of things that she didn’t want to do.” 

“That’s Evie’s story to tell.” Mal stated. 

“It’s okay.” Fairy Godmother agreed, not wanting to start an argument. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.” 

A little while later, the nurses came in and asked if they needed some cots. Each of the boys said yes, but when Fairy Godmother tried to encourage Mal to take one, she had gotten an evil glare. 

“I’m not leaving this spot.” 

Fairy Godmother sat on Evie’s left side, Mal was in bed next to her, and the boys were snoring away on their cots in no time. Every time Evie would stir, Mal would play with her hair and whisper into her ear and she would relax. 

As the night went on, she became more and more confident that Evie would make a full recovery. 

\-----

When Evie opened her eyes, she was confused. It smelled weird, and she didn’t recognize her surroundings. Her heartbeat started to quicken as she tried to figure out where she was. 

“It’s okay, Princess. You’re okay.” 

That one voice made all of her worries disappear. She rolled over, coming face to face with Mal. Evie smiled at her. 

Her heart broke when she saw tears start to pour down Mal’s cheeks. The purple haired girl pulled her into her arms and squeezed her tightly. 

“Why are you crying?” she questioned. 

“Because I’m so happy you’re awake.” Mal sat up, then helped her into a sitting position. Before Evie could even move, Mal had pressed their lips together. 

“Unless you want to get sick too, I would stop that.” 

Evie pulled back, wondering why Fairy Godmother was there. That’s when it hit her that she was in a hospital. 

“What happened?” she asked. 

“You were unconscious. Do you remember being sick?” Evie nodded; her stomach still hurt and she could feel the achiness in her body, but it wasn’t as bad. “Your fever was really high.” 

“How long was I unconscious?”

“Two days.” 

“Two days!?” she shouted, then started to cough. Mal handed her a cup of water that she drank greedily. 

At the sound of her voice, the boys both jumped up. “Eves!” they nearly tackled her in hugs. 

“Give her some space!” Mal demanded. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay.” Carlos whispered to her. Evie just smiled, confused on why they were all being so weird. 

“Your fever was almost 106.” Fairy Godmother explained. “You were delirious and you wouldn’t wake up, but you were talking and saying little phrases.”

Evie tensed. What had she said? Were they mad at her? Did she do something wrong? 

Before she could voice any of her concerns, Mal kissed her cheek. “It’s okay.” 

Evie just leaned against Mal, letting her hold her up. She felt Mal’s arms tighten around her and she kissed her face every other minute. Evie was content with just staying there for forever. 

The doctor came and gave her the latest dose of the medication she was on. Everyone was relieved that her fever had dropped down to 102.3, which wasn’t great, but much more manageable. 

Evie felt absolutely disgusting. Her hair was greasy and she could feel the sweat that was piled up on her body. 

“When can she shower?” Mal asked the doctor before he left. 

“Whenever she’s ready. If one of you is going to help her, that’s fine. If not, will you please ask a nurse?”

“I’m helping her.” Mal deadpanned. 

“Towels and toiletries are in the bathroom attached to the room.” The doctor informed her. He removed Evie’s IV so she could move around, then left the room. 

“Thank you for asking.” Evie said as she smiled at her girlfriend. 

“While I help her, why don’t you guys get some food? It’s been a while since Evie has eaten.” Mal told the boys.

“I would really like some of my clothes too instead of this paper gown.” Evie added. 

“We’re on it.” They were running out of the room within seconds. 

“I’m going to go make some phone calls. Everyone was worried about how Evie was doing, so I need to let them know that she is okay.” Fairy Godmother told the girls. She took her phone and went into the hallway. 

Mal pulled the blankets back and stood, then helped Evie. She wrapped her arms around her waist and guided her into the bathroom. Evie was surprised by how shaky her legs were, but it had been two days since she used them, so it wasn’t that unusual. 

She waited patiently while Mal turned on the water. They both stripped out of their clothes and then got into the water. As soon as they were under the spray of the water, Mal pulled Evie into her arms and just held her, burying her face into her neck. 

“I’m okay.” Evie whispered as she ran her fingertips up and down Mal’s back. 

“You weren’t okay. I have never been as scared in my life as I was when you wouldn’t wake up.” Mal admitted. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. You don’t need to apologize.” Mal leaned up and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you so much, Evie. More than anything in this world. More than you could ever know.”

“I love you even more.”

“Not possible.” 

Mal squirted the shampoo into Evie’s hair and washed it for her, followed by conditioner. She even washed her body for her, then shut off the water. 

“What about you?”

“I’m going to get you into bed first and then I’ll finish.” Mal answered. She helped Evie out of the shower and wrapped her up in a towel, then guided her back to bed. Since her clothes weren’t here yet, she let her just stay in the towel. 

Evie waited while Mal finished her own shower. She looked around the room, wondering how much longer she was going to have to stay here. It didn’t take long before the boys returned. 

“Here are your clothes.” Carlos handed her a bag. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I just went with some comfy stuff.”

“Thanks, C.” Evie opened the bag. She found a pair of underwear, leggings, and a t-shirt that actually belonged to Mal, but Evie didn’t mind. She was able to change into the underwear and shirt on her own. 

“Here, I’ll help you.” Jay came over and put her leggings on for her. “We brought some food for you. You really need to try to eat.”

The last thing in the world that Evie wanted to do was eat, but she knew she had to after the boys went through so much trouble. She figured soup would be easy, so she grabbed a cup of soup. 

Mal walked out of the bathroom as they were all getting settled. She sat at the end of Evie’s bed. The blue haired girl immediately crawled over to sit next to her girlfriend. As she sat there, her body felt heavier and heavier. 

“If you’re tired, you can sleep.” Mal told her. 

“I’m so tired.” She admitted. 

“I don’t know how. You slept for over two days.” Jay commented. 

“I’m still exhausted.” Evie finished the last couple bites of her soup, then rested her head on Mal’s shoulder. Her eyes started to droop. 

“Alright, time for you guys to go.” Mal said. She took the cup out of Evie’s hands, which startled her back awake. 

“What?” Jay and Carlos nearly shouted at the same time. 

“She needs to sleep.” Mal reminded them. 

“That’s not fair that you’re kicking us out.” Carlos pouted, but he still stood and started to clean up garbage. 

“See you tomorrow, Eves.” Jay kissed her cheek. 

“Get some sleep.” Carlos added, kissing the opposite cheek. The boys walked out of the room together. 

“Now it’s just you and me.” Mal said quietly. 

“Will you stay with me?” Evie asked. 

“Always. Come on, let’s lay down.” Mal laid down first, then held out her arms. Evie scooted into them, adjusting herself until she was comfortable. “You smell different.” Mal told her after a few minutes. “I miss smelling strawberries.” 

“Yeah, I doubt that hospital shampoo did anything to make me look better.” 

“You’re gorgeous, Evie, no matter what shampoo you use.” Mal kissed her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and then her lips. “I love you, baby.” 

“Love you too.” Evie cuddled into her, finally letting her eyes shut. Even when she wasn’t feeling good, Mal still made her feel like the most special and loved person on the planet.


	2. Soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Evie just needs Mal.

Now that they had been in Auradon for a while, Mal didn’t know how she had ever survived without a cellphone. She spent way more time than she should scrolling through social media, or playing games. She and Jay always downloaded the same ones and tried to beat each other’s scores. Sometimes, they even roped Evie and Carlos into it, but that was never fun because Carlos always beat everyone’s score too quickly, and Evie was horrible at any type of video game. 

Mal had been playing Candy Crush for a couple weeks now and she was already on level 214 (while Jay was only on 199, last she checked). When she was bored in class, she pulled out her phone and started a game. When she didn’t want to do her homework, she started a game. When Evie was busy sewing and couldn’t entertain her, she started a game. It was honestly becoming a problem. 

Mal was laying on her side on her bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Her phone was in her hands as she focused on the screen, trying to get the correct amount of striped candies. She heard someone fumbling around outside the door and checked the time, knowing it had to be her girlfriend. 

The door opened and she heard the clicking sound of Evie’s heels. Today was her long day, so she had been in class since 8 this morning and it was nearing 6pm.

“Hi.” She called out in greeting, but there was no response. She could hear Evie moving around. 

A minute later, Evie came over to the bed. She saw Mal playing a game, but didn’t comment. She took the phone out of her hand and put it on the table next to the bed. Mal went to protest, but Evie just lifted up the blankets and crawled into bed next to her. She grabbed one of Mal’s arms and put it around her waist. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and scooted closer to the purple haired girl. 

Mal got the hint pretty quickly that Evie needed her right now. She wrapped her other arm around her too and pulled her into her chest. She swore she could feel Evie’s heart racing. 

“What’s going on, E?” she asked quietly. She could hear how quick Evie’s breathing was. “Bad day?”

“Horrible day.” She mumbled out. 

“What do you need?”

“Just hold me.” 

Mal didn’t need to be told twice. She kept her arms around her and pressed kisses to anywhere she could reach. After a minute passed and Evie didn’t seem to calm down, Mal forced her into a sitting position. Her girlfriend’s breaths were coming out in pants. 

“It’s okay.” She told her. She put her hand on the back of her neck and pulled her forward until Evie’s head was resting on her chest. “Listen to my heartbeat. Match my breathing, baby.” She made sure to breath in and out deeply. She ran her fingers through blue hair as Evie tried to calm down. 

Evie didn’t have panic attacks very often anymore, but when they hit, it took a while for her to calm down. She would get herself so worked up and bottle it up until she exploded, and then Mal would be the one left to put the pieces together again.

“Breath in…breath out….in…good, Princess, just like that.” Mal encouraged. “Just close your eyes. Don’t think about anything but my heartbeat.” 

It took a couple minutes, but finally, Evie was breathing normally again. She sat up and their eyes met for the first time since Evie came into their room. Mal still didn’t know what had happened, but she could see the hurt in her girlfriend’s beautiful brown eyes. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” 

Mal tried not to let the fact that she was hurt by that show. Right now, it was about Evie, not her feelings. 

Evie started to wipe at her face, knowing her makeup was smudged. Mal followed her sight line and looked down; there was a black spot on her shirt from Evie’s mascara. 

“I’m sorry.” Her eyes welled up with tears. 

“Why? It’s just an old t-shirt. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter because I screw everything up!” 

Mal looked at her, really looked at her, and could see that right now, she didn’t need to talk. She just needed someone to take care of her. 

“Come on.” Mal stood up, waiting for her girlfriend to join her. When she didn’t move, she grabbed her hand and pulled her up. 

Mal absolutely loved when Evie wore her heels. She always looked so powerful, and the clicking sound was intimidating in the best way. But secretly, she thought she loved when Evie was barefoot even more. She suddenly shrunk five or six inches (depending on the shoes), she seemed softer and cuddlier, and she fit perfectly into Mal’s arms.

She decided to take advantage of that now and gave Evie a hug. She just stood there with her for a few minutes, gently swaying back and forth. Evie’s forehead was pressed into her neck and she stayed silent. 

“Come on.” She said, grabbing Evie’s hand and leading her into the bathroom. “Sit on the counter.” Evie did as she said, lifting herself up to sit on the counter. Mal smiled up at her. “I’m going to help you with your nightly routine. What’s first?”

“I really don’t want to.” 

“You’re going to have to do it anyway. It’ll be less that you have to do if I help.” 

Evie just sighed. “I usually wash my face.”

“Okay.”

“Get the makeup wipes out from under the sink.” Mal did as she said. She pulled one out and started with her eyes. Evie sat still, letting her work. Mal was careful not to press too hard, and when she finished with removing the eye makeup, she started on her skin. After that, she went to the lipstick. When her lips were clean, Mal leaned forward and gave her a kiss, letting it linger. Evie returned her affections instantly. When she pulled back, she let their foreheads rest together for a moment.

“Now do you just use soap and water?” Evie nodded. She grabbed a washcloth and turned on the water until it was warm. She carefully rubbed soap onto her girlfriend’s face. Then, she used the wet washcloth to clean it off. When she was finished, she pressed her fingers into Evie’s neck, gently massaging out the knots there. The blue haired girl just let her head fall forward and enjoyed the feeling. “Okay, your face is clean.”

“Then I take a shower.” 

“I’m more than happy to help with that.” Mal eagerly ran over to the shower and turned the water on. She only had on a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, so she was able to get undressed quickly. Evie was still in her full attire, so it took her a little longer. Once they were both naked, they got into the shower. 

Mal held her close so that they could both fit under the spray of the water. Once their hair was wet enough, she got a handful of shampoo and started to rub it into Evie’s hair. She massaged it into her scalp, then lathered it and spread it to the ends of her hair. 

“Mal…” Evie whimpered. 

“I’m here, baby. Everything’s okay. Just let me help you.” 

Mal switched her spots so Evie could rinse her hair. She took that opportunity to quickly wash her own hair. Then, she started with the conditioner. She only put it on the ends of Evie’s hair, then ran her fingers through it to help detangle. They switched spots again. 

After they both had clean hair, Mal turned Evie around. She started to rub her back and shoulders, trying to help her decompress a little. Evie just rested her forehead against the tile wall and let Mal work her magic. 

She leaned forward and kissed the back of Evie’s neck quickly. “Wash your body, babe.” 

They both finished up in the shower. Mal got out first and grabbed clean towels for both of them. They each put one in their hair and wrapped one around their bodies. When they got out, they were both facing towards the mirror. Evie cracked a small smile at the sight of their hair in towels. 

“There’s that smile I love so much.” Mal leaned up and kissed her cheek. “You’re so pretty.”

The girls walked into their room together. Mal went to the closet and pulled out clean clothes for each of them. They always slept in the same thing- Mal liked long sleeves and pajama pants, while Evie preferred an oversized t-shirt and underwear (which Mal swore was because then she would be cold and it would give her a reason to cuddle, not that she needed one). 

After she was dressed, Mal hung up her towels. Evie finished too and went back towards the bathroom. “I need to blow dry my hair.”

“No, _I_ need to blow dry your hair.” Mal ran ahead of her and plugged the blow dryer in. “Sit down.” 

Mal moved around her girlfriend, trying to finish as quickly as possible. She hated using a blow dryer, but she would do absolutely anything for Evie. She stood in front of her and Evie leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Mal’s waist and resting her cheek on her stomach. She took that as a signal to stop and turned off the blow dryer. 

“Are you ready to talk?” she questioned as she ran her fingers through Evie’s beautiful blue hair. 

“It was just a bad day.” Evie admitted. “You know that chemistry test I was studying really hard for?” 

“You mean the one that you’ve been working on since last week?” 

Evie nodded. “I failed it.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t...” 

“No, we got our scores back right after. I got an F.” Evie shook her head. “I studied so hard, and I still couldn’t do it. I’m so stupid.” 

“Excuse me? Look me in the eyes right now, Evie.” Mal waited until she raised her head and made eye contact. “You are _not_ stupid. I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. You are easily the smartest person I know. It’s one test; it sucks, but you’ll do better on the next one. You can’t be perfect all the time, E.” Mal could see her nodding and hoped that she truly understood. “What do you do next?” 

“Moisturize.” 

Mal winked. “You know I’ll take any opportunity to rub my hands on you.” She squirted some moisturizer into her hand. “Close your eyes.” 

Evie did as she said. Mal thought she had finished her story, so she was surprised when she spoke again. “You know that guy, Bradley, from my English class?” 

“Yeah, what about him?” 

__“Never mind.”_ _

__“No, not never mind. I want to know.” Mal stilled her hands, refusing to move them again until Evie spoke. She knew how much her girlfriend loved when she touched her, so it would only be a matter of time before she gave in._ _

__“He always tries to talk to me and I usually blow him off because he’s kind of creepy, but today he wouldn’t leave me alone.”_ _

__Mal felt her blood begin to boil, but she tried to keep her voice level as she finished moisturizing Evie’s face. “What do you mean?”_ _

__“He sits behind me in class and he wouldn’t stop touching my hair and he kept whispering to me. I got in trouble because of course Mr. Gomez blamed it on me, not his precious Auradon boy. I was the last one to leave because I had to finish up my notes and when I walked out, he cornered me.”_ _

__“Did he put his hands on you?” Mal demanded. She knew her eyes were glowing, but she wasn’t going to calm down until she knew the whole story._ _

__Evie looked down and Mal felt like she could explode. She immediately grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and brought her into the bedroom. She sat down on her bed and pulled Evie onto her lap._ _

__“Where did he touch you?”_ _

__“It wasn’t like that. It’s not even a big deal, Mal. He just grabbed my arm and pushed me up against the wall and…”_ _

__“Stop.” Mal interrupted. “Don’t downplay it. Baby, we’ve gone over this. No one should be in your personal space without your permission. He never should have touched you. Why did he push you against the wall?”_ _

__“He kept trying to invite me to a party this weekend. I reminded him that I have a girlfriend, and he just got closer to me and…” she bit her lip. “He said he could turn me straight a-and…”_ _

__“And what?”_ _

__“He kissed me.”_ _

__“What?!”_ _

__She flinched when Mal yelled. “I’m sorry!”_ _

__“No. Do not apologize. I’m not mad at you, Evie. I’m so sorry that happened.” Mal squeezed her in her arms. “Did anything else happen?”_ _

__“After he kissed me, I punched him in the stomach, then the eye, and I ran away.”_ _

__“Good job, I’m so proud of you.” Mal kissed her cheek, her temple, her chin, then her lips. “Next time, I want you to call me. I swear I’ll kill him.”_ _

__“That’s why I didn’t call.” Evie admitted. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”_ _

__“I don’t care about that. He shouldn’t have touched you, and he definitely shouldn’t have said he would ‘turn you straight’, and he absolutely should not have kissed you.”_ _

__“Can we just stop talking about it?”_ _

__“Do you understand why that’s wrong?” Sometimes, Mal felt like she was treating Evie like a child, but she had been raised with such a twisted view on how she should be treated by men. She felt responsible for helping her girlfriend change the way her mother taught her to think._ _

__Evie nodded. “I’m allowed to have boundaries, and I don’t have to feel guilty for setting them. No one is allowed to touch me without my permission.”_ _

__“You’re so smart.” Mal kissed her. “God, I love you so much.”_ _

__“I love you too.” Evie put her head on Mal’s shoulder._ _

__“Did anything else happen?” Mal asked after it was quiet for a few moments._ _

__“I finished my big design project. Fairy Godmother had the great idea of a video chat with my mother.” Evie sighed. “I know it’s messed up, but I honestly thought she might be proud of me. The only thing she ever really supported me on was dressing nicely, so I thought maybe she would be happy to see what I’ve been doing.”_ _

__Mal rubbed her back gently. “I take it she wasn’t?”_ _

__Evie laughed sadly. “No, not at all. She made fun of every single thing I showed her, and then once I was done with the clothes, she moved on to me.” She looked up at Mal. “Can I ask you something and you’ll give me your honest opinion?”_ _

__“Of course.”_ _

__“Do you think I’ve gained weight since we’ve come here?”_ _

__“Yes.” Mal answered easily. “But we were all malnourished and underweight on the Isle. I’m so happy you were able to put on a little weight because you looked like skin and bones before. You are so gorgeous, Evie. I don’t want you to listen to what your mom said. You know she’s delusional.”_ _

__“She also had a lot to say about our relationship, and she was furious when Fairy Godmother told her how good my grades are.” Evie shut her eyes. “It’s so exhausting being torn down every time you talk to the one person who is supposed to love you unconditionally.”_ _

__“I’m sorry, baby.” Mal kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you tell Fairy Godmother that you don’t want to have anymore video chats with her?”_ _

__“I don’t think I’ll have to tell her. By the time my mom was done talking, Fairy Godmother was in tears. She shut the video off and she kept trying to hug me and it just made the whole situation even more awkward.” Evie’s bottom lip started to quiver. “She told me that I’m lucky I could even find a girl who wanted to date me now that I’ve gained so much weight. She said I need to start making myself throw up again.”_ _

__“No you don’t.” Mal insisted. “You are so perfect, E.” she put a hand over Evie’s stomach. “Your stomach is completely flat. Your mom just isn’t used to seeing people who are a normal weight, and you know she’ll take any opportunity to make you feel bad about yourself because she’s jealous of you.”_ _

__“I just wish I didn’t take everything she said so personally. I would love it if I could just let the comments go, but it’s like my mind fixates on them.”_ _

__“You can always talk to me about it. You know I’ll tell you the truth and help you see how beautiful you are.” Mal kissed the tip of her nose. Evie smiled a full smile for the first time that day. “There’s my girl.”_ _

__“You know, you might act like you’re tough, but you’re so soft when it’s just us.”_ _

__“I don’t care. You deserve everything in this world, and I will spend the rest of my life giving it to you. I’m not embarrassed at all about how much I love you.” Mal leaned back to where she could lay down, bringing Evie with her. She kept her arms locked around the other girl. “Now let me just cuddle you for a while.”_ _

__Evie turned so they were chest to chest. She gave Mal a long, slow kiss. “Thank you. You’re the best.”_ _

__“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”_ _

__“I love you.”_ _

__“Not as much as I love you.” Mal smiled. “I can keep going with the cheesy lines.”_ _

__Evie laughed. “Please don’t.”_ _

__“If it’ll make you laugh, I’ll do this forever.”_ _

__“That’s still a cheesy line!” They both laughed together._ _

__Now that she was smiling, Mal knew that Evie would be okay._ _

__(She also knew she would be paying Bradley a visit tomorrow.)_ _


	3. Moms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie and Mal have been through a lot together, but now, they are ready to take their relationship to the next level.
> 
> Parenthood.

For years now, the first thing on Mal’s mind when she woke up and the last thing she thought of before she went to sleep was Evie. Her blue haired best friend has been around since she was six years old, and honestly, Mal wasn’t sure when she stole her heart. The purple haired girl was the evilest villain child on the Isle of the Lost, but every single person knew that her only weakness was her princess. 

On the Isle, Mal’s concern had been keeping Evie safe and fed. Now that they were in Auradon, her priorities had definitely shifted. More than anything, she just wanted Evie to be happy. She was pretty sure that she had finally achieved that goal. 

Mal looked over at the girl next to her. Evie was fast asleep, her lips slightly pouted as she breathed evenly. She couldn’t resist leaning down and pressing a kiss to her full lips. She tried to untangle herself from their mess of limbs, but Evie groaned. 

“No.” she held tighter onto her. 

“It’s time to get up.” Mal informed her. “It’s already 10.” 

Evie’s eyes were still closed as she attempted to pull the other girl back into bed. Unfortunately, Mal was stronger, so she was struggling. Mal leaned down and scooped Evie up into her arms. 

“That’s not fair.” Evie complained as her eyes flew open. She gripped tightly to her girlfriend’s shoulders. 

Mal carried her downstairs and dropped her onto the couch. Carlos and Jay were on the other couch, both eating bowls of cereal and staring at them. 

“What’s going on?” Carlos questioned. 

“She wouldn’t get out of bed.” Mal answered. She kissed Evie’s forehead. “What do you want for breakfast?” 

Evie turned to the boys. “Carlos, can you please make me an omelet? Yours are so perfect.” Mal watched in amusement as she gave him the puppy dog eyes and the pout; it worked on everyone every single time. 

“Of course.” He got up, ruffling her messy hair as he passed her on the way to the kitchen. 

Mal grabbed a bowl of cereal for herself and sat back down next to her girlfriend. Evie adjusted her body so she could lean against her, her eyes glued to whatever show Jay had playing on TV. 

Their little family was nice. Mal loved that they had their own little place, a four bedroom house. They had freedom, but they could be together when they wanted. 

Evie let out a little whimper that had Mal and Jay looking at her in seconds, ready to jump into action. 

“What’s wrong?” Jay demanded. 

“I’m really sore.” Evie admitted. She sat up and pressed her hands against her lower back. 

“Where?” Mal asked. She replaced Evie’s hands and started to rub circles into her skin. 

“Right there, that’s perfect.” Evie groaned. 

Mal rubbed her back for another couple minutes. When she could see that she was relaxed, she reached her arms around her and underneath Evie’s t-shirt. Her hands came into contact with her bare stomach and she smiled when she felt the barely noticeable bump. She couldn’t resist giving Evie a kiss on the neck. 

“Here’s your omelet.” Carlos said, holding out a plate. 

“Thanks, C. You’re the best.” Evie took the plate. Mal moved so Evie could sit between her legs with her back resting against her chest. She kept a hand resting on her stomach as she ate, feeling where their baby was growing. 

It was an indescribable feeling to look at Evie and know that she was pregnant with her child. It flared up every protective instinct Mal had in her body, and she had been struggling with not hovering too much. She knew Evie could take care of herself, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to be there to help her and their baby. 

Mal squeezed Evie in a tight hug, making the other girl cry out. She stopped immediately as both boys jumped up, convinced that they were going to have to save Evie somehow. 

“Sorry, my boobs just really hurt.” Evie explained.

“I’m sorry.” Mal kissed her cheek, then smiled. “Want me to rub those too?” 

Both boys groaned, sitting back down on the couch and teasing her about her cheesiness. Mal just laughed. She didn’t care what anyone said as long as Evie was happy, and judging by the smile on her face, she was happy. 

\-----

Mal woke up to an elbow in her stomach. She moaned as she sat up in confusion. She heard noise from the bathroom and stood, going over. Evie was on the floor in front of the toilet with her head practically in the bowl. One of the unfortunate symptoms of pregnancy was morning sickness, and it had hit her girlfriend hard. 

She sank down onto the ground, leaning over Evie so that she could gather all of her hair in her hands and tie it into a bun. Then, she sat back and waited. Evie was sick pretty often, so they had learned that when she was throwing up, she didn’t like to be touched. 

It felt like forever before Evie finally reached up to flush the toilet. She turned around and just laid on the floor, pressing her cheek to the tile and closing her eyes. 

“Don’t lay on the floor, Princess.” Mal said gently, trying to coax her to get up. 

“It’s so hot.” She whimpered. She had tears running down her cheeks. 

Mal stood and turned the water on, letting it fill the bathtub. She made sure it wasn’t too hot. “Come on, take a bath.” 

“Stay with me?” Evie sat up, her face looking flushed and tired. 

“Always.” 

Evie undressed and got into the bath tub, sinking down into the water. She let her head rest against the side of the tub as her eyes closed again. Mal cupped her hands, bringing handfuls of lukewarm water up to run them over Evie’s cheeks, neck, and back. 

“E?” Mal spoke after a few moments, but she was met with silence. “Evie.” She realized that her girlfriend was asleep. She decided to just let her relax. Mal grabbed her sketchbook and came back over to sit on the floor, trying to catch the peaceful look on the blue haired girl’s face. 

After a little while, Mal stuck her hand in the water and felt that it was getting cold. She pulled the plug and leaned down, pressing kisses to Evie’s face. “Wake up, E. Time to get in bed.” 

Evie sat up, rubbing her eyes. She shivered slightly and stood, accepting the towel Mal wrapped around her. She walked into the bedroom and laid down on the bed, not even bothering to finish drying off. 

Mal rolled her eyes with a smile. “I guess I’ll just do everything.” She started to dry her off. 

“Your baby is inside me.” Evie reminded her. 

“I could never forget that.” Mal leaned down and gave her a quick kiss against her stomach. She got Evie dressed and then threw her towel into the bathroom. When she came back, Evie had her arms stretched out, her hands opening and closing as she reached for her. Mal climbed in bed next to her, pulling her flush against her so they could be touching as much as possible. 

The last thought on her mind before she drifted off was that she would do anything for this woman. 

\-----

When it was time to find out the gender, Evie and Mal were beyond excited. They had originally planned on just going to the doctor and hearing it there, but Carlos and Jay begged them to do a gender reveal party. Evie, always in the mood for a party, quickly agreed. 

They went to the appointment, Evie practically skipping as she held Mal’s hand. “I can’t wait to know.” 

“What are you hoping for?” Mal wondered. 

“I don’t care either way.” Evie said, just like every other time. 

Personally, Mal didn’t believe her. She was pretty sure that her fashion loving girlfriend would love the opportunity to dress a little girl. Honestly, that’s the way Mal was leaning too. It was kind of scary imagining a child that would have her personality, but she figured Evie’s genetics were in there too so it would work out. 

When the nurse called them back, Evie practically jumped out of her seat. Mal couldn’t help but smile as Evie gave her the full-on, scrunchy nose smile that she loved so much. She leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose before they walked back to the exam room. 

The nurse asked a couple questions and took Evie’s weight (which Mal was sure to keep her distracted during) before leaving them alone. Mal watched in appreciation as Evie slipped out of her clothes so she could change into the paper hospital gown. 

“God, you’re so perfect.” Mal stated as she walked over, rubbing her hands against her girlfriend’s stomach. Evie had a small baby bump now, and Mal was obsessed. Every night before bed, she insisted on talking to the baby, which Evie found adorable, especially when Mal made her promise not to tell anyone. 

“Stop.” Evie said with a smile, pushing her hand away so she could finished getting undressed. 

“I’m serious, baby. I don’t think there’s ever been a pregnant person who has looked as good as you.” Mal kissed each of her cheeks. “You’re literally glowing.” 

Evie laughed. “I love you.” 

“Not nearly as much as I love you.” Mal stepped back, finally letting her get dressed. As soon as she was finished, the ultrasound technician walked in. 

“Hello ladies. My name is Tia, I’m going to do your exam today.” She greeted as she came in, taking a seat near the exam table. Evie lifted herself onto it while Mal took the seat next to her. “How’s everything going so far?” 

“Pretty good. I’m tired a lot, and I’ve still been having a little bit of morning sickness, but everything is good.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m going to be checking your baby’s development today, and looking for any type of fetal abnormalities.” 

Evie and Mal nodded. They had already discussed this with their doctor at their last appointment, so they knew it was coming. They were a little nervous, but they were choosing to believe that their little one would be completely healthy. 

“This is gonna be a little cold.” She squirted the gel onto Evie’s stomach, causing her to jump. She started to move the wand around. 

Mal sat next to Evie, keeping their hands together as Tia performed the exam. She looked at specific parts of their child, taking measurements and checking to make sure everything was the way it should be.

“Alright, I’m all finished. As far as I can tell, your baby is completely healthy.” 

“Thank God.” Evie huffed out, leaning over and pulling Mal into a hug. Mal gave her a quick kiss on the cheek to show she was just as relieved.

“Now, let’s get to what you really came for.” She gave them a clear view of their child. “Here’s your baby.” 

Evie felt her hormones kick into overdrive when she saw her baby appear on the screen. “She’s so beautiful.” She whispered. 

“She?” Mal said in amusement, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s okay to want a girl, E.”

Right then, Evie knew. She had been trying to tell herself that she would be happy as long as the baby was healthy, and she would. But there was no denying that she would love to have a little girl who was half her and half Mal. 

“I want a girl.” She admitted. 

“Me too.” Mal told her. 

“Would you guys like to know the gender?” Tia wondered. 

Mal sighed. “Can you write it down and put it in an envelope? Our friends want to have a party for us.”

“Of course!” Tia leaned over and flipped on a switch, filling the room with a steady noise. “Here is your baby’s heartbeat. It’s nice and strong.” 

Evie closed her eyes, listening to the sound with a smile on her face. She couldn’t remember a time where she had ever been this happy before. 

“I’m going to print off pictures for you. Here is the envelope.” Tia handed it to Mal, who stuck it in her pocket. “Dr. Addison will be with you in a moment. Congratulations!”

“Thank you.” Evie said.

Tia handed her a paper towel to wipe off her stomach, then cleaned up the equipment and left the room. 

Evie wiped off her stomach, handing the paper towel to Mal for her to throw away. As soon as she was done, Mal came back over, leaning down and planting a long kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. 

“You have made me so happy. Our life is perfect.” 

“It really is.” Evie agreed. “Maybe all the horrible things that happened on the Isle were worth it so that we could end up here.” 

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. “Hello! How are you both doing today?”

“Good.” Evie answered. “Really happy.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. Tia told me that everything with the baby looks perfect, and that you’ll be having a gender reveal party.”

“Yes, tomorrow.” 

“You’ll have to bring pictures to your next appointment.” Dr. Addison sat down and scooted her chair up to Evie’s bed. “Now it’s time to talk about the hard stuff.” 

Evie frowned. “The baby…” 

“No, the baby is okay.” Dr. Addison reassured her. “How have you been feeling, Evie?” 

“I’m okay. I’ve been tired, my breasts are sore, and I’m having a little morning sickness.” 

“How often would you say you’re having morning sickness?” 

Evie thought about it, then turned to Mal. “What do you think, M?”

“Maybe like three times a week?” 

“How is your appetite?” 

“Normal.” 

“Evie, I’m concerned that you’re not gaining enough weight.” 

That was the absolute worst thing that Evie could have heard. She instantly felt like a weight had been dropped on her chest, and she even let out a little gasp. 

Mal stood immediately, coming over to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Breathe.” She commanded. Evie followed her instructions and leaned over, resting her head on Mal’s chest. 

“Dr. Addison, Evie has spent a long time recovering from an eating disorder.” Mal explained so that the blue haired girl wouldn’t have to. “She’s going to struggle with that part of the pregnancy, so if you have any suggestions with how to help, we would love to hear them.” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll mark that on her chart.” Dr. Addison started to write. “Do you go to a therapist?” 

Evie lifted her head, feeling a little calmer now that she had a second to adjust to the statement. “I used to. It’s been years, so I haven’t gone in a while.” 

“That would be my first recommendation; getting back into touch with your therapist will be good so you can have that conversation and work through things. The most important thing is to remember that your weight will determine your baby’s size. I know this is going to be difficult, but I can see how much you already love this baby. You have to do what is best for them.” 

“I will.” Evie promised, and she truly meant it. She had struggled with her body and self-esteem after years of criticism from her mother, but it was under control now and she intended to keep it that way. 

“Alright, I’m going to let you get dressed now. You can make your next appointment up front. Congratulations again.”

“Dr. Addison?” Mal interrupted. “Is there any way you can mark on her chart to not let her see her weight or discuss it with her?”

Evie really wanted to be mad at Mal for talking about her like she wasn’t there, but she couldn’t. She knew that it was for the best, even if she did hate being treated like a child. 

“Yes, I will put that down.” 

“Thanks.” Mal waited until Dr. Addison had left. “Evie, I’m sorry, but…”

“Stop.” Evie gave her a hug. “Thank you.” 

Mal kissed her temple. “You’re gonna get through this, okay? This is nothing we haven’t talked about. We’ll just work on adding more healthy calories.” 

Evie just nodded her head. She would do whatever it took to have a healthy baby. 

\-----

Evie and Mal were honestly shocked by the fact that Jay and Carlos had managed to throw together a party. They had been kicked out of the house that morning and told to go find something to do for the day, so when they got back home, they were surprised to find the driveway filled with people. 

“Baby mamas are here!” Uma shouted as they walked in the front door. 

Everyone started to yell their greetings and come over to hug them. Evie was tired after a long day out with Mal, but she put a smile on her face and hugged them anyway. She was pulled in one direction by Dizzy, while Mal was grabbed by Fairy Godmother. 

It seemed like every person they had ever met (with the exception of their parents, luckily) was in the house. Evie made her rounds, stopping and talking to everyone she saw. She was relieved when finally she got to Carlos. 

“You good, E?” he questioned. He was alone in the kitchen, working on making some type of appetizer. 

“Tired.” She responded before sitting on the counter. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course.” Carlos stopped what he was doing and turned his full attention to her. 

“The doctor brought up yesterday that I’m not gaining enough weight.” 

He froze for a second, struggling to find the right thing to say. “You haven’t been…”

“No! No, not in a long time.” She quickly reassured him. “But I’m scared I might.”

“Do you feel like you need to?”

“Not right now. But what if I start gaining weight and then I throw up?” 

“Listen to me. You are so strong, Evie. You have grown so much mentally and you’re not that little girl you were on the Isle anymore. You have Mal, you have friends, obviously you have me and Jay, and now you have this baby. You can beat this.” 

“Mal and I talked about this before I got pregnant, and I knew that I would have to gain weight obviously. But Mal always makes sure that I’m busy when they’re weighing me, so I never knew how much I was gaining. I thought I was doing a good job.” Evie bit her bottom lip to hide the slight tremble. “I don’t want to disappoint her.” 

“You’re not disappointing her. You didn’t know, but now you do. So you can start eating an extra meal or adding calories or something. The whole house will make that change with you, okay? We’ll do it together.” Carlos pulled her into his arms, rubbing his hands up and down her back. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” She rested her head on his shoulder and just stayed there for a second. She was so tired, and her mind had been on overdrive ever since the appointment yesterday. It was so nice to just stop for a second and let herself rest. 

“Hey Carlos, where is the…Evie?” Jay trailed off as soon as he saw his friend. He came over to them. “What happened?” 

Evie reluctantly sat up, taking a deep breath to try and calm down. She figured she might as well tell him too so that at least the whole house knew. She knew that Mal and the boys would hold her accountable and keep her on the right track. 

“The doctor told me yesterday that I’m not gaining enough weight, and I’m scared about relapsing.” 

Jay let out a breath and just gave her a big hug. “I’m sure Carlos already said something good, so I agree with whatever that was, okay?”

Evie couldn’t help but laugh. “Stupid.” 

“No matter what, don’t forget that you’re already an amazing mom, alright? A couple years ago, you wouldn’t have told us this. That shows how much you’ve grown up. You really care about this baby and I know you’re going to do what’s right for them.” 

One tear slid down Evie’s cheek and she quickly tried to wipe it away. “I was trying not to cry today, Jay!” she scolded jokingly. 

“I’m sorry.” Jay pulled her into a hug that Carlos quickly joined in on. A few more tears escaped, but Jay reached out and wiped them away. “God, if you weren’t gay, I would totally date you. You’re so gorgeous.” 

“Shut up.” Evie shoved him away from her. 

“Seriously, you’ve been glowing lately.” Carlos added. “You were already beautiful, but now it’s like next level.” 

Evie rolled her eyes. “Thank you, boys.” She slid off the counter. 

“You’re pretty much an angel.” Jay stated.

“Goddess.” Carlos corrected. 

Evie smiled and walked towards the door, hearing the boys laughing behind her. She went back out to where everyone was, her eyes scanning the crowd for her girlfriend. The bright purple hair made her easy to find; Mal was sitting on the couch talking to Jane and Doug. 

Evie went over to them, smiling at Jane and Doug before sitting down on Mal’s lap. Mal instantly wrapped her arms around her, completely ignoring her previous conversation to pay attention to the blue haired girl instead. 

“Why were you crying?” she demanded, reaching up to smooth her hair out of her face. 

Evie frowned. “It’s that obvious?”

Mal gave her a look. “I know everything about you, Evie. Of course it’s going to be obvious to me.” She leaned forward so she could whisper in her ear. “Did someone say something to you? Do you want me to kick them all out? I have absolutely no problem doing that.” 

Evie gave her a look. “Quit being antisocial. They’re throwing this party for us.” 

“You still didn’t answer my question.” 

“I told the boys.” 

Mal noticeably relaxed; if there was anyone in this world she trusted with her girlfriend, it was Jay and Carlos. They knew (almost) everything about her and they would never do something to hurt her. “And?”

“They were being sweet and I got hormonal.” 

Mal kissed her forehead. “Well that’s much better than I was thinking, so I’m happy with that.” 

Evie leaned forward until her face was buried in Mal’s neck. “I’m so tired. It’s ridiculous that I can barely make it through the day without a nap anymore.” 

“You have a parasite sucking away your energy, Princess. What do you expect?” 

“If I didn’t know you better, I would think that you calling our child a parasite was kind of harsh.” 

Mal smiled. “Good thing you know me.” 

Evie couldn’t be bothered to move from the comfy spot she was in. She let her eyes close and just clung to her girlfriend. Mal held her without complaint. 

After a few minutes, she could hear Evie’s deep, even breathing, signaling that she had fallen asleep. Mal knew she must really be tired because she would never let herself fall asleep in a room full of people, especially at a party. 

Harry sauntered over, plopping himself onto the couch next to Mal. “Awww, the pretty princess is sleeping?” 

“Yep.” 

“What were you all doing last night that kept her awake?” he asked with a grin. 

Mal rolled her eyes. “She’s growing a human, Hook. That’s enough of a reason to be tired.” 

“Food’s ready!” Jay shouted, causing Harry to jump up. Mal stayed glued where she was; she would sit there for the rest of the night if Evie could sleep through the loud conversations happening around them. 

Carlos came over with a plate of food a few minutes later. “How is she sleeping? It’s so loud in here, and she never falls asleep if there are other people around.” 

Mal kept her voice low so she didn’t disturb the blue haired beauty on her lap. “She’s just been really tired lately; it’s normal for where she’s at in the pregnancy.” 

“I think we should wake her up. If the doctor is talking about weight with her, then that’s going to make her self-conscious, and we both know she isn’t going to want to be the only one eating if she wakes up after everyone is finished.”

“You’re right.” Mal leaned down, kissing Evie’s forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. Evie kissed her back, but when Mal pulled away, she groaned. 

“I’m tired, M.” 

“I know, but the food is ready. Come on, I promise that we can sneak upstairs after this is over. Don’t you want to know if we’re having a boy or girl?” 

Evie perked up a little after that. They went into the kitchen where all the food was laid out. Mal noticed immediately that her girlfriend was hesitating before grabbing food. 

“Don’t let this be a setback, E. Get what you like, don’t overthink it too much.” 

Evie nodded. “I’m just scared it won’t be enough.”

Mal knew better than anyone that Evie struggled with food. She had seen how frail and underweight she was on the Isle, and she knew it was because her mother forced her to go without food for days at a time. Once they came to Auradon, Evie’s eating disorder really hit hard and there were a lot of big fights over it. In all that time, the issue had always been refusing to eat too much. It broke Mal’s heart to know that now, Evie was worried that she would hurt their baby by not eating enough. 

“Get what you want and then we’ll look at it and see.” Mal compromised. 

Evie started to fill up her plate. Mal knew she didn’t like it when her food touched, so there was a lot of space still left by the time she was finished. She knew that she would never grab two plates or go back for seconds, so she had to get creative. 

“Okay, now instead of water, drink milk.” 

Evie made a face. “I hate milk.”

“You like chocolate milk, so I’m going to make you some. If you add one more piece of chicken to your plate, I think you’ll be good.” Mal set her own plate down and grabbed the gallon of milk and chocolate syrup from the fridge. 

Evie nodded. “Okay. Thanks, M.” 

“Come here.” Mal said as she stirred up the milk. She leaned forward to kiss her lips. “Thank you for taking care of our baby.” 

“I’m trying my best.” 

They went back out into the living room and saw that Carlos had saved their seats on the couch. Mal sat in the middle, knowing that Evie would want to use the armrest as a place to set her plate. She tried her best not to stare at the other girl as she ate, knowing that she absolutely hated that. She was proud when she looked over and saw that Evie’s plate was completely cleared off. She turned to look at Evie and saw an uncomfortable expression on her face. 

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful when you’re taking care of our child.” She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her neck. “You’re already the best mom in the world.” 

Carlos smiled as he offered to take their plates into the kitchen. Mal put her arm around Evie’s shoulder and pulled her closer. Everyone was talking and laughing and it was nice to know that so many people cared about them. 

“Time for the reveal!” Jay called out. “We need everyone in the backyard!” 

Mal stood, then reached a hand out for Evie. Carlos and Jay were waiting with a giant black balloon. The two girls walked over and stood where they were told. 

“We didn’t want to do a cake or anything food related, so I hope this is okay.” Carlos whispered to Mal. 

“It’s perfect.” She reassured him. “What do you want us to do?”

“Here are pins for each of you.” He handed one to Evie and one to Mal. “You’re going to pop the balloon and either pink or blue confetti will fall out.” 

Evie was practically bouncing, a big smile on her face. Mal thought this whole thing was kind of cheesy and pointless, but if it made her girl happy, she would deal with it. When she looked at the group of people surrounding them and saw all their cameras pointed, she started to get a little excited. 

Mal smiled at Evie, who started to giggle. “When do we do it?”

“We’ll count down. 5…4…3…2…1!” 

Both of the girls shoved the pins towards the balloon. It took a second for the color to register as everyone started to cheer. 

Mal grabbed Evie, hugging her tightly. “It’s a girl!” she whispered. 

“We’re gonna have a girl!” Evie’s voice was choked up as she responded. She didn’t realize it until now, but this was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life. She has the perfect girlfriend, amazing friends, a great job, and now, she would have a beautiful baby girl. 

\-----

“MAL!” 

Mal jumped up off the couch, dropping the bag of chips she had been eating all over the floor in the process. She sprinted up the stairs and slammed into the bedroom door in her haste to shove it open. Evie was standing in front of her without a shirt on and she immediately scanned her eyes over her body, checking for any injuries. 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you in pain? Are you…”

“She kicked!” Mal had never seen Evie smile that big before. “I felt it, like a little flutter in my stomach.” 

“Can I feel?”

Evie grabbed her hand and pressed it against her stomach. After a few seconds, she gasped and looked at her girlfriend. “Did you feel it?” 

Mal smiled sadly. “No.” 

Evie pouted. “I’m sorry, M. Remember, we read that early on, it can only be felt from inside.”

“I can’t wait to feel it.” Mal kissed her. “I swear, the bump is getting cuter every day.” She placed both hands on Evie’s stomach and rubbed in circles just like the other girl liked. Because her skin was stretching to accommodate their child, it was itchy and sore. 

“I’m getting stretchmarks.” Evie said after a moment. 

Mal moved back so she could look. “Where?” 

Evie reached around behind her and unclasped her bra. Her breasts had definitely grown, and on the sides, there were now little stretch marks. 

Mal leaned forward and kissed each mark, then trailed her kisses up to Evie’s lips. “You’re so perfect. I can’t believe that my baby is inside of you. Do you realize how amazing it is that your body is growing and changing for our daughter?

Evie put her arms around Mal’s neck. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

Mal shrugged. “It’s a gift.” She gave her another kiss. “Where’s your lotion?”

“In the bathroom.” 

“Lay down.” Mal went into the bathroom to grab Evie’s bottle of lotion. She came back in and smiled at the sight of her sprawled out on the bed. She squirted some lotion into her hand and started to rub it on the baby bump. Every night before bed, and every morning after she got out of the shower, Evie applied the lotion to hopefully reduce stretch marks and to keep her skin from drying out. Lately, Mal had been doing it for her because she couldn’t reach as easily as before. 

As she applied the lotion, she gently massaged Evie’s stomach, then legs, then feet, then breasts, and then her arms. By the time she was finished, Evie was practically a puddle underneath her. 

“You’re so good at massages. It doesn’t matter how sore I am, I always feel so much better when you’re finished.” Evie tilted her head up, pouting her lips slightly. Mal caught the hint and gave her a kiss. 

“Any time you want me to rub my hands on you, let me know.” She said with a smirk.

Evie pulled her down for another kiss. “How about now?”

\-----

When Evie heard the front door shut, she tried to pull it together. She was sitting on the floor of the master bathroom and she scrambled to wipe the tears off her cheeks. She could hear Mal’s footsteps on the stairs, but she couldn’t get up in time. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Mal dropped her bag on the floor and came into the bathroom, falling on her knees in front of her. “What happened? Are you okay?” 

Evie could see her eyes dart to the toilet and she realized Mal probably thought she made herself throw up. Honestly, she couldn’t blame her. She knew she had a history, but she had hoped her girlfriend trusted her to not do that anymore. 

“I didn’t throw up.” She whimpered. 

“Are you hurt?” 

“No, I…” before she could get the words out, she started to cry again. “It’s stupid.” 

Mal lifted her up as if she weighed nothing. Despite the fact that the other girl was shorter, she was the stronger one. She carried her into the bedroom and sat down, holding Evie on her lap. 

“Tell me what’s bothering you.” 

“I’m ugly!” Evie cried. “I’m fat and my boobs hurt and my body is sore and my face is breaking out.” 

Mal gently grabbed her chin, turning her face to one side, then the other. “I don’t see anything, babe.” 

“I just feel so gross!” 

“Wanna know what I see?” Evie avoided eye contact. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up, seeing that Mal had been waiting to speak until their eyes met. “I see my gorgeous Princess, giving up everything and making changes to keep our daughter safe. I see your body getting ready to feed our child. I see you making choices every single day to keep your body healthy. Evie, you are so goddamn perfect and you don’t even realize it.” She kissed her neck gently, trailing little kisses from there up to her lips. “Want to take a bath?” 

“With you?” she asked hopefully. 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Yes.” Evie stayed snuggled into the purple haired girl. Mal pulled Evie’s shirt over her head, careful of her sensitive breasts. Then, she lifted her slightly so she could pull her shorts and underwear off. She carried her back into the bathroom and set her down so she could turn on the water.

After the water started to fill the tub, Mal added some of the oils and bubbles that Evie likes. She stripped out of her own clothes and got into the water, smiling as the warmth covered her whole body. She looked up at Evie and smiled. 

“So fucking beautiful.” 

Evie blushed at the praise and stepped into the water, lowering herself slowly so she could sit between Mal’s legs. The large bathtub was perfect for them both to fit in, and she settled with her back against Mal’s chest. 

Evie listened intently as Mal talked about her day, tracing patterns on the arms that were wrapped around her. She could listen to Mal talk for forever. 

“I love you.” She said suddenly. 

“I love you more.” Mal kissed the back of her neck. “Are you feeling a little better?”

“You always make me feel better, M.” 

“Good. I promise I will spend the rest of my life making you happy.” Evie just rested her head on Mal’s shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling so much better now that she was with her girlfriend. 

\-----

“M?” Mal felt something touch her cheek, but she kept her eyes closed. “M…” this time, it was drawn out and the touching turned to stroking. “Mal!” 

“Huh?” she squinted, trying to adjust to suddenly being woken up. 

Evie was on all fours hovering over top of her, her baby bump now big enough that it was resting against Mal’s stomach. Her blue hair fell down like a curtain, hanging around the other girl’s face. 

“Hi.” Evie whispered with a smile. She leaned down and kissed her cheek. 

“E, I love you, but I’m tired. Are you okay?”

“Kinda.”

“What do you mean ‘kinda’?” 

Evie lowered herself to straddle Mal’s waist. “How much do you love me?” 

“Is that a real question?” Mal finally sat up, moving so that Evie was on her lap. “What’s wrong?” 

“I really, really want some pineapples.” She gave her a kiss. 

“You ate them all at dinner, remember?” suddenly, it all clicked. “You want me to go get some.” She said it as a statement, not a question. 

“Please, baby?” Evie placed a gentle kiss on her neck before smiling shyly. “I’ve been craving pineapples and I can’t even sleep because I can’t stop thinking about them.” 

Mal wanted to be mad, she really did. But she couldn’t help but smile at how amazingly adorable her girlfriend is. She slid her arms around Evie’s waist, then felt a little flutter against her arm. 

“See? She’s hungry.” Evie took Mal’s hand and placed it over the spot their daughter had just kicked. A few seconds later, she felt it again. If she hadn’t already made the decision to go, she would have now. 

Mal grabbed Evie’s arms and gently flipped their position so that Evie was now laying on the bed and she was hovering over her. 

“Rest while I’m gone, okay?” 

Evie’s smile was blinding. “You must love me a lot, huh?” 

“You have no idea how much, baby girl.” Mal gave her a kiss, then leaned down to kiss her stomach. “I’ll be back in 20 minutes.” 

As she walked out of the room, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 3am. She drove to the 24 hour grocery store down the street and went in, grabbing three large containers of pineapples. She paid and rushed home. 

Mal walked into the bedroom. “Here are your pineapples, E…” she trailed off, seeing that Evie was now fast asleep. She sighed and took the pineapples back to the kitchen. When she came back, she put her arms around Evie. “You’re so lucky I love you.” She kissed the back of her neck and then drifted off to sleep. 

\-----

When Mal got home from work, she was surprised to see that Evie wasn’t there yet. Ever since she had gotten further into the pregnancy, she had been leaving work early. After all, Evie worked for herself; she didn’t necessarily have to stay all day, but if things got busy, she would put in some extra time. 

Mal decided to make dinner for Evie and the boys. She wasn’t the best cook, but she was learning because she figured that they wouldn’t always have Carlos around to cook for them. Evie could cook, but Mal didn’t want her girlfriend to have to do all the work. 

Jay and Carlos got home at the same time, both of them drifting towards the smell of food. 

“What’s that?” Jay questioned. 

“Lasagna. I followed Carlos’s recipe, but I don’t know how good it is.”

“It smells great, Mal.” Carlos smiled at her reassuringly. “Where’s Evie?”

“Still at work, I guess. When I talked to her at lunch, she said things were busy.” 

“Should she really be at work this long? She’s almost nine months pregnant.” Jay reminded. 

“If she’s not home soon, I’ll call her.” 

The three of them decided that they would wait until Evie was home to have dinner. Mal went upstairs to take a quick shower, and she started a load of laundry. She heard a car pull into the driveway. 

“She’s here!” she called out to the boys. 

The front door opened a moment later and Evie came in, her arms full. Mal went over, grabbing bags and paperwork and whatever else she could. 

“You okay?” she asked with a smile. 

“So tired.” Evie just leaned down and dropped everything she was holding on the floor. Both of her hands moved to her stomach, rubbing her bump as she limped over to the couch. She reached down to try and take her heels off. After trying a few times, she groaned in frustration. “Mal, can you help me, please?” 

Mal went over, kneeling down in front of her. She undid the strap on the heels, then pulled them off of Evie’s feet. As she moved, Evie moaned in pain. 

“What’s wrong?”

“My feet are killing me. Today sucked.” She leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Mal stood, pressing a kiss to the side of Evie’s face. Before she could move all the way, the blue haired girl grabbed her cheeks, pulling her back over for a real kiss. 

“We waited to eat until you got here.” Carlos mentioned as he came downstairs. Jay followed a few seconds later. 

“Thank you.” Evie tried to get up, but Mal put her hands on her shoulders. 

“Just sit and relax. I’ll bring your plate.” 

Jay and Carlos piled their plates up and returned to the living room. Mal followed a minute later with two plates, passing one to Evie. 

“What are we gonna watch?” Jay wondered. “Eves, you can pick.” 

“Can we watch Friends?” 

“Whatever you want.” Jay turned on Netflix and started up an episode. 

Mal watched Evie out of the corner of her eye. It was pretty obvious that her girl was exhausted. She was picking at her food, only taking small bites, and she was hardly even laughing at one of her favorite shows. 

The purple haired girl finished her food quickly, then set her plate to the side. She grabbed Evie’s feet and gently pulled them up onto her lap. She started to rub them, making sure to really press against the arches. 

Evie let out an embarrassingly loud groan, causing the boys to look over at them. “Sorry.” 

“Rough day?” Carlos asked. 

“You have no idea.” Evie launched into a story about her day. Her three best friends listened, adding comments and sympathizing with her. They knew that it was hard to run a business while also being pregnant, so they understood. By the time she was done talking, Evie let out a sigh. “Thanks for letting me complain. I feel better now that I got it off my chest.” 

“Princess, you need to try and eat.” Mal reminded her gently. 

“I’m really not hungry.” Evie rubbed her back. “I’m so sore and I just feel so…full.” 

“Hmmm, wonder why.” Jay joked. 

“You still have to eat something. What about some fruit? Or Carlos bought you some more ice cream.” 

Evie thought about it for a second. “What about yogurt?” 

“I’ll get it.” Carlos jumped up, returning a moment later with a container of yogurt and a spoon. He traded Evie, giving her the yogurt and taking away her almost untouched plate. 

“I’m sorry, M. I know you probably worked hard on that.”

“I don’t care, I just want you to eat something.” Mal continued to rub her feet as Evie started to focus on the TV. 

After a little while, Jay went up to his room. Not too long after, Carlos excused himself so he could shower. Evie looked like she could fall asleep at any second, so Mal started to get up. 

“No.” Evie whined. 

“Let’s go up to bed, baby.” Mal stood, then reached out her hands to help pull Evie up; since her bump had gotten bigger, she struggled with getting off the couch, putting her shoes and socks on, and shaving. Luckily, Mal was always willing to help out. 

Evie grimaced as soon as her feet touched the ground. Mal could tell from how she was walking that her back was hurting her, and her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Evie’s hands drifted to her lower back. 

Carlos had picked up all of Evie’s stuff from the middle of the floor and carried it up to their bedroom, so Mal was grateful for that. Evie practically collapsed onto the bed. 

“Don’t you want to wash your face?”

“I don’t care, I’m tired.”

“Come on.” Mal knew that in a few minutes, Evie would change her mind, so she would rather have all of that stuff done as soon as possible. 

Mal stood behind Evie the whole time she washed her face. She kneaded her lower back, trying to rub out the discomfort there. At one point, Evie held onto the counter and just let her head hang down. This gave Mal the perfect exposure to her neck, so she moved her hands there next and worked on those knots. 

Evie finished up and they went back to the bedroom. Mal stripped Evie out of her pants and shirt, then unhooked her bra and threw it on the floor. She slid a t-shirt over Evie’s head. 

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Evie whimpered as she climbed onto her lap, closing her eyes as Mal continued to rub her back. 

“Any time.” Mal kissed her cheek. 

\-----

Mal was known for being trapped in her own world when she was drawing. This concentration had only intensified now that she was painting her daughter’s nursery. It was Mal’s responsibility to paint, while Evie would decorate, and the boys put together all the furniture. 

No matter how focused she was, nothing could have hidden the sound of glass shattering from downstairs. 

“E?” Mal called out, stopping all movements. She didn’t hear anything, so she put down her paintbrush and went out into the hallway. “Evie?” 

“Mal!” she could hear the panic in her girlfriend’s voice. She took the steps two at a time, skidding to a stop once she got to the kitchen. 

Evie was dressed in only one of Jay’s old t-shirts and a pair of underwear. Her legs were soaking wet, there was a puddle under her feet, and a shattered cup was on the floor around her. 

Mal had on shoes, so she used the bottom of them to brush the glass out of the way to make a clear path for Evie to walk. “Come here, baby.” She grabbed her hands and pulled her away from the mess. “What happened?” 

“My water just broke.” Evie whispered in awe. “We’re gonna be moms.” 

Mal opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, but she still couldn’t make words come out. Was she ready? The nursery still had a wall that needed to be painted, they weren’t completely set on a name yet, they didn’t…

“Hey.” Evie grabbed her hand. “I know you’re freaking out right now, but I need you to get it together because I need help.” 

“What do you need?” she immediately jumped into overprotective mode. 

“Can you help me get upstairs? I want to take a shower and change clothes.”

“Don’t we need to go to the hospital?” 

“No, my contractions aren’t that far apart yet.”

Mal’s eyes widened. “Contractions? Since when have you been having contractions?”

“Since last night. I thought they were Braxton Hicks, but then they never stopped and now that my water broke, I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m in labor.” 

“Are you in pain?”

“Yeah, a little.” Evie admitted. 

“Come on, let’s go upstairs.” Mal walked behind her, keeping her hands planted firmly on her waist so she wouldn’t fall. They went into the bathroom and Mal turned on the water. “I’m gonna go clean up downstairs, are you going to be okay?”

“I’m okay.” Evie smiled nervously.

Mal gave her a quick kiss. “You’re okay.” 

After making sure she got into the shower okay, Mal ran downstairs and swept up the glass, then wiped up the floor. She moved quickly, wanting to be there for her girl. 

The front door opened and Jay and Carlos came in. They stopped when they saw her. “Did E have an accident again?” Carlos questioned. 

“Her water broke.” 

Both of the boys’ eyes widened and they started to panic, asking a million questions at once. 

“Where’s her hospital bag?”

“Where is Evie?”

“Don’t we need to go?”

“Why are you so calm?”

“Do you want me to drive?”

“Stop.” Mal interrupted. “Evie has been timing her contractions and she said they’re not very close together yet. She’s taking a shower and then I’m going to call the doctor. If you want to help, you can finish putting together the shelf in the baby’s room.”

“On it.” Both boys ran up the stairs. 

Mal followed, but she went to her bedroom. She walked into the bathroom and moved back the shower curtain. She was surprised to see Evie crouching on the floor under the spray of the water.

“E?” she cringed internally at how nervous her voice sounded. 

“Contraction.” Evie panted, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the side of the tub. 

Mal didn’t know how to help. She reached forward, rubbing circles into Evie’s lower back. The blue haired girl moaned, so she figured she was doing something right. 

After a moment, Evie sighed. “It’s over. Can you help me up?” 

Mal shut off the water and put her hands under Evie’s arms to help her stand. As soon as she was on her feet, Evie wrapped her arms around Mal’s neck and leaned against her. She just stood there for a moment, running her fingers through blue hair and trying to come to terms with the fact that she was going to be a mom soon. 

Evie whimpered as another pain hit her. She kept her grip on Mal as she got out of the shower. Mal grabbed a towel and dried her off and then they walked into the bedroom together. 

“I’ll get you some clothes.” The purple haired girl dug through the closet, pulling out a pair of underwear, yoga pants, a sports bra, and a t-shirt. Evie got dressed and then sat down on the bed. “Wanna call the doctor?”

“Uh-huh.” 

Mal got her phone out and dialed the number. She put it on speaker so that they both could hear. They spoke to Dr. Addison, who told them that it was time to come to the hospital. 

“Will you brush my hair?” Evie questioned. 

Mal grabbed the brush, bringing it back and running it through her girlfriend’s long hair. These were their last few hours where it would be just them, and it was kind of surreal. For as long as she could remember, it had always been Mal and Evie. Of course, they had the boys, but they were adding a member to their family who they would be responsible for for the rest of their lives. Honestly, Mal thought it was a little scary. 

“You okay?”

“Huh?”

Evie smirked. “I can practically hear you thinking.” 

“My whole life has just been about you.” Mal blurted out before she could think about it. “I don’t know if there’s gonna be enough room for a baby.”

Evie smiled. “You already love this baby. You talk to her and rub my belly and take care of me and you painted her nursery. You will have no problem making room for her in your heart.” 

Mal kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be the one freaking out.”

“Yes you should. We’re both gonna be parents, not just me.” Evie winced as another contraction started. “Have you spoken to Fairy Godmother?”

“I’m going to call her once we get to the hospital.” Mal studied her. “Can you walk, or should I get Jay?” While Mal could probably still pick her up, she didn’t trust herself to carry Evie down the stairs. 

“I can walk. Will you grab my bag and my phone?”

“Yeah.” Mal leaned down, pulling Evie’s shoes on for her and then helping her up. She grabbed what her girlfriend needed and then followed her towards the stairs.

Right as she was about to go down, Evie paused. She gripped the railing tightly as a contraction hit. Her legs were shaking and she didn’t know if she could walk. 

“Jay!” Mal called. 

The boy ran out of the baby’s room, joining them in seconds. “What’s wrong?”

“Can you carry her to the car?”

Jay didn’t need to be told twice. He scooped her up and carried her out to the car with ease. Mal opened the passenger’s door for him and he put Evie in, even buckling her seatbelt. 

“Thank you, Jay.” Evie kissed his cheek. 

“We’ll meet you there as soon as you call, okay? We’re gonna finish putting together this shelf. Do you need anything?”

She shook her head. “I’m okay.” 

“You’re amazing.” Jay kissed her forehead. “See you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

Mal was in the driver’s seat now and they backed out, heading towards the hospital. Evie kept her hands glued to her bump, rubbing gently. She tried not to show too much of her pain when a contraction hit because she knew it would worry Mal, but she must not have been doing a very good job. 

“You’re so strong.” Mal reached over and grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Our baby is so lucky to have you.” 

“She’s so lucky to have us.” Evie corrected. 

It didn’t take long to get to the hospital. Mal parked the car, luckily finding a close space, and they walked inside. Evie felt her girlfriend’s arm locked around her waist as she guided her, and she was happy that she had something to steady her. 

When they walked in, there was a nurse with a wheelchair waiting. She introduced herself, but Evie couldn’t focus; the cramping in her stomach and back was taking her breath away. 

“Mal.” She whimpered. Purple hair whipped around as Mal turned to face her. She grabbed her arms and gently lowered her down to sit. 

The nurse pushed the wheelchair down the hallway as Evie kept her hand locked in Mal’s. Soon after, they were taken into a room. 

“Do you feel like you can stand?” the nurse questioned. 

“Yeah.” Evie put her hands on the bed and stood up. She turned so she could sit on the edge of the bed, and then scooted herself back. 

“Can you lift your shirt up?” the nurse came over with a band in her hand. She wrapped it around Evie’s stomach. “This is the fetal monitor, it will help us check the baby’s heartbeat. Can you tell me what has been going on?”

“I’ve been having contractions since last night, and I thought it was Braxton-Hicks. They’ve been getting more intense, and my water broke about an hour ago.”

“Okay, Dr. Addison is going to come in and check your cervix. The baby’s heartbeat looks good. Have you been keeping track of your contractions?”  
“They’re about five minutes apart.” 

“How long are they lasting?” 

Before Evie could answer, a contraction hit. She bit down on her lip and shut her eyes, letting her head fall back against the pillows. Mal grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly as she leaned over and whispered comforting words in her ear. When it finally passed, she sat back up. 

“That was 53 seconds.” The nurse stated. “We’re going to keep track of them from now on. I will grab Dr. Addison for you. Please take off your clothes from the waist down, and you can cover yourself with the blanket.”

“Thank you.” Evie responded. Once she left the room, she looked at Mal. “What’s her name?” 

“She said Andrea.” 

Evie figured she should know the name of the woman in charge of helping her give birth. She tried her best to slide her pants and underwear off, but it was hard in her position. Mal grabbed her waistband, pulling them both off at the same time, and then pulled the blanket over her. “M?”

“E?”

“I’m scared.” 

Mal sat on the bed next to her, putting one hand on her belly and the other in her hair. “You have nothing to be scared of. Dr. Addison is going to take care of you, and I won’t let anything happen.” She kissed her cheek. “Roll onto your side and I’ll rub your back.”

Evie immediately moved over. Her back was killing her, and her girlfriend always knew exactly where to rub to help the pain. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Mal stood up as Dr. Addison came into the room. 

“Hello Evie, hi Mal.” She greeted. “Looks like baby girl is ready to make her entrance. How are you, Evie?”

“Fine.” Her smile was tight as she answered the question, the pressure on her back still painful. Her hand was still grasping Mal’s and she squeezed it. 

“I’m going to have you lean back.” She turned the stirrups that were attached to the side of the bed. “I’m going to swab your cervix to make sure it was amniotic fluid that was leaking, and to see how dilated you are.” She explained. 

Evie lifted her legs, putting them into the stirrups. This was the absolute worst part of being pregnant. She hated being examined and poked and prodded. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly and shut her eyes. 

“You’re amazing.” Mal whispered into her ear, then kissed her cheek softly. 

Evie smiled weakly. She winced as the exam was performed, and finally let out a sigh when Dr. Addison announced that she was finished. 

“You are five centimeters dilated.” The doctor informed them. “Right now, the best thing for you to do is move around. Changing positions will help you to relieve some of the pain, and it will progress the labor further. You can take a walk, there is a bathtub in the connected bathroom that you can use, even just moving around the room will help. Here is a gown for you to change into.” 

“Okay.” Evie forced a smile. “Thank you.” A contraction hit and she moaned. 

“Big breaths. Breathe through it.” Dr. Addison encouraged. Mal’s hands immediately went to her back, trying to help her through the pain. Finally, it subsided. “Press the call button if you need anything.” 

“Thanks.” Mal answered, keeping her eyes glued to Evie. “What do you need?” 

“Can you rub my back again?” 

“I will do literally anything for you.” Mal waited patiently until she turned to her side. She got to work right away, pressing her hands into her girlfriend’s skin. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.” Evie admitted. “I didn’t really sleep last night.” 

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Because there wasn’t really a reason for both of us to be up. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”

“I could have sat there with you so you wouldn’t be alone.”

“It’s fine, M. I’m glad you got to sleep because it looks like we’re going to be up for a while.” Evie sighed. “Did you update the boys?”

“No, I’ll do that in a minute, and I’ll text Fairy Godmother and Uma.” 

“M’kay.” 

They were quiet for a few minutes. Evie changed into the hospital gown while they had a little down time. Mal could tell instantly when another contraction hit because Evie’s entire body tensed up. 

“Owww.” She cried out. 

“It’s okay, E. God, you’re so amazing. I could never do this. I’m so lucky to have you.” She continued to whisper reassurances while also pressing her hands into Evie’s back.

After about a minute, Evie calmed down, rolling onto her back with a groan. Mal could see a tear sliding down her cheek and she leaned forward to kiss it away. 

“Was that the worst one you’ve had?” Evie nodded her head. “I’m sorry, baby. It’ll be over soon enough.”

“Can you cuddle me?”

“Of course.” Mal pulled her closer until Evie’s back was against her chest. She put her arm around her girlfriend’s waist and rubbed her belly, hoping to alleviate some of the pain there. 

As she held her, Mal used her other hand to grab her phone and send a quick text to their friends. She knew they were all probably worried, and that Evie could use them as a distraction. 

Less than a half an hour later, Jay and Carlos busted into the room. Mal was sitting up against the pillows with Evie between her legs. The blue haired girl was breathing deeply as she struggled through a contraction. They both froze when they saw the state she was in. 

After it subsided, Evie collapsed back into Mal, who had noticed the boys’ entrance. “Baby, look who’s here.” 

Evie opened her eyes and smiled weakly. “Hey boys.”

“What do you need?” Jay questioned. “Did they give you medicine? Do you want me to rub your feet? Or get you a snack?”

“We’ll do whatever.” Carlos agreed. 

“Can you help me up?”

Jay walked over, carefully grabbing her hands. He pulled her into a sitting position, then helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed so she could stand. 

“M, will you scoot over to the edge of the bed?” Evie asked. Mal did what she said, though she wasn’t sure what she was doing. Evie leaned forward and put her hands on Mal’s shoulders. “Will you rub my stomach? And will one of you rub my back?” 

Jay was still standing there, so he stepped forward. “Where do you…”

“Lower back.” Mal chimed in.

Evie rested her forehead against Mal’s neck, finally sighing in relief when some of the pain was alleviated. 

Carlos came over and sat on the bed next to Mal. He started to run his fingers through Evie’s hair, causing her to groan loudly. 

“This is perfect.” She stated. 

The three of them sat there, willing to do anything to take care of the girl. They loved Evie with all of their hearts and they would do whatever it took to get her through this. 

“No.” Evie moaned and Mal felt her body go rigid. Jay and Carlos immediately stopped what they were doing. 

“Keep going.” Mal ordered. “You’re so brave, baby girl. Breathe, focus on pushing the air in and out. You’re okay.” 

Evie let out a loud whine and her knees nearly buckled. Luckily, Jay put his hands on her hips to steady her. When the contraction ended, Mal looked at her in concern.  
“You good?” 

“I don’t know. It hurts a lot.” Evie’s eyes were watery and she looked dangerously close to crying. 

“Remember what Dr. Addison said? We need to get you up and moving. Do you want to go for a walk or take a bath?” 

“Come on, let’s go see what kind of trouble we can start.” Jay said with a smirk. 

Carlos went over to the hospital bag that Mal had dropped carelessly in the corner. He opened it up and grabbed out Evie’s slippers, then brought them over and helped her move her feet into them. 

Mal pressed the call button for the nurse. A few minutes later, Andrea appeared. “Everything okay?”

“We’re going to go for a walk. Does she need to have the monitor on?” 

“Nope, we can take that off.” Andrea unlatched the fetal monitor that had been wrapped around Evie’s stomach. “Hit the button when you get back to the room and I’ll come back and we can check the baby’s heartbeat, okay?”

“Thank you.” Evie said. She turned to Jay. “Will you walk behind me?” 

“There’s nowhere else I would dream of being.” 

Mal could tell Evie was a little nervous. She went over to her and kissed her, winding her fingers through her hair as she held her close. “You’re so fucking amazing.” 

Evie smiled. “I love you.”

“Love you more.” 

Mal held Evie’s hand as they walked. Carlos and Jay were right behind them, both boys ready to jump into action if Evie so much as stumbled. 

“You know, Mal, you’re going to be pretty much indebted to Evie for the rest of your life after this.” Carlos joked. 

“Trust me, I already know. Seeing her in this kind of pain is like a punch in the stomach.” 

Evie rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry you’re in so much pain.” 

“It just sucks seeing you like this.” Mal kissed her cheek. “But I promise, after our daughter is here, I will do whatever you want. Want me to buy you a new wardrobe? A car? A castle? Do you want to go on a big vacation? I will do anything.” 

Evie hummed. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to collect my prize.” 

“Name it and it’s yours.” 

As they continued to walk, the boys did their best to distract Evie. They moved up and down the labor and delivery hallways, hoping that it would progress Evie’s labor.

“God, I can’t wait to meet this kid. She’s going to be the most gorgeous kid on the fucking planet.” Jay announced. 

Evie laughed, but a second later, she felt the now-familiar pain of a contraction start to creep up. She turned towards Mal, burying her face in her neck to hide her whimpers. Mal’s hands went to her hips and she helped her gently rock back and forth.

“How much longer?” she practically whispered. 

“I don’t know, baby. I’m sorry.” Mal continued to help her rock, just waiting for the contraction to stop.

For Evie, the contraction was the longest one yet. She felt her knees buckle and she tightened her grip on Mal to keep herself standing. Mal’s hands were steady on her hips, supporting her weight and keeping her on her feet. As the contraction ended, she felt something press against the back of her knees, and then Mal was gently pushing her down into a wheelchair. 

“I can walk.” She protested weakly. 

“We’d feel better if you didn’t.” Carlos chimed in. He pushed the wheelchair as Jay and Mal walked on either side. 

Evie didn’t have the strength to argue. When they got back to the room, she even let Jay help her stand. She laid back down in bed, turning on her side and rubbing her stomach. There was another contraction building up already. 

“Mal.” She whined, her hand reaching out blindly. 

“I’m here.” Mal ran around to the other side of the bed so she could face her. “You’re doing amazing, E.” she stroked her hair with one hand and rubbed her belly with the other.

When it finally stopped, Evie was dangerously close to tears. She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep it from wobbling. 

“Princess.” Mal whispered. 

“It hurts.” Evie cried, the tears dripping from her eyes and down her cheeks. “I feel like I’m being ripped apart.”

“It’ll be over soon. Just try and relax right now.” She rested their foreheads together for a moment. “I’m going to call the nurse.” 

A few minutes later, they were surprised to see Dr. Addison instead of Andrea. “How are you feeling, Evie?” 

“Worse.” She complained, keeping her eyes shut. 

“She’s in a lot of pain.” Mal explained. 

“Let’s check and see how dilated you are. Boys, do you mind?”

“We’ll be right outside.” Carlos told the girls. 

Mal helped Evie lift her legs into the stirrups. Dr. Addison examined her while Mal held her hand, hoping she could keep her calm. 

“Seven centimeters.” Dr. Addison announced. 

“That’s it?” Evie sat up in surprise. She whimpered as she looked at her girlfriend. “Mal, I can’t do this.”

“You can. You are so strong, baby.” 

There was a knock at the door. Mal waited until Evie was decent, then went over to open it. Fairy Godmother stood there with a smile.

“Hello, girls.” She greeted. “Evie, dear, how are you?”

“Hurting.” 

“How dilated are you?”

“Seven centimeters.” 

As Evie and FG talked, Dr. Addison started to hook up the fetal monitor again. Mal stayed glued to her spot next to her girlfriend. 

“Baby looks good. Just keep doing what you’re doing and before you know it, you’ll be at ten centimeters.” Dr. Addison encouraged before leaving the room. Jay and Carlos reentered, plopping down on the couch on the side of the room. 

“She’s miserable.” Mal stated. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“The doctors can give you medicine.”

“No.” Evie and Mal said in unison. 

Fairy Godmother knew there was probably some Isle-related reason that they wouldn’t accept drugs. She could see the tears on Evie’s face and the exhaustion in her body.  
“I could do a spell.”

“Really?”

“It wouldn’t completely take away the pain, but it would at least dull it.”

“And it’s safe for the baby?”

“I used it on Belle when she gave birth to Ben. It’s completely safe.” 

“Please.” Evie pleaded. 

Fairy Godmother pulled out her wand; clearly she had been planning this since she took the time to go and get it from the museum. 

Evie reached her hand out and Mal took it without question. She pulled her into her arms so Evie could rest her head against her chest. Mal stroked her fingers through long blue hair, hoping she was calming her down. FG began to chant as she moved her wand around, pointing it towards Evie. If there was anyone Mal trusted to fix this, it was Fairy Godmother. After all, she was the entire reason they were able to have a baby with both of their DNA.

After a couple seconds, Mal felt Evie relax against her. “Thank you.” She whimpered. 

“How do you feel?” Mal demanded. 

“Like I can breathe again.” She cuddled closer. “It still feels like pressure, but it’s not a sharp, throbbing pain anymore.” 

“I’m so happy to hear that.” Mal kissed her face. “You ready to have this baby?” 

Evie nodded. “More than ready.” 

\-----

When it was finally time to push, Evie was a nervous wreck. She had stopped caring about appearances as much and finally pulled her hair up into a bun. She was sweaty, her makeup had run almost completely off, and she was in tears. It was nearing midnight, meaning Evie had been in labor for close to 24 hours. Mal was trying her best to encourage her, but nothing seemed to be working anymore. 

“Alright Evie, when the next contraction hits, you need to listen to your body, okay?” Dr. Addison encouraged. 

“Mal.” She cried out. 

“I’m right here.” Mal stated, squeezing her hand to reassure her. 

“Please help me.” 

“I’m sorry baby, I can’t help you. You just have to do what your body says. When you feel like it’s time to push, push!” 

“Get this baby out of me.” Evie sobbed. 

Mal felt terrible for her. She hadn’t slept the night before, meaning she had been awake for close to 36 hours, she hadn’t eaten at all since the contractions started, and she could barely keep down water because she was throwing up. Dr. Addison had given her an IV to help keep her hydrated, but Evie was absolutely exhausted. 

“Look at me.” Mal put her hands on Evie’s cheeks and gently turned her face so she could look at her. In all her life, Mal had never seen her girlfriend look so tired and hopeless. “I know that you’re ready for this to be over. We’re almost there, and then we’ll get to meet our daughter. I promise you that when this is over, you will get to sleep. I will do whatever it takes to keep everyone out of our room, and I will take care of the baby so you can rest. I’ll get you something to eat, I’ll bring your pillows from home, I’ll do whatever you need. I swear that I will take care of you and our child and everything will be okay. But baby girl, right now this is on you. You have to push.” 

Evie nodded. “Okay.” 

“I love you.”

“Love you.” Evie pouted her lips and Mal caught the hint, leaning forward to kiss her. 

“You’ve got this, beautiful.” 

Evie felt the contraction hit her. It was like her body was screaming at her to push, so she listened. Mal held one leg and Andrea held the other as Evie used what little strength she had left to push. 

“Great job, Evie, just like that! Take a deep breath and when the next one hits, do it again!” 

Each minute felt like an hour. Evie had one hand firmly grasped on Mal’s arm, and Mal was rubbing circles onto her leg with her thumb. Right now, she just needed contact with her girlfriend. That was the only thing that was keeping her sane through all this. 

After a while, the pain intensified. Evie let out a sharp whine, causing Mal to whip her head around to look at her. 

“The baby is crowning.” Dr. Addison informed them. “These next couple pushes are going to be hard, but you’re almost done. You are doing such a great job.”

Andrea came over with a cold rag, wiping the sweat off of Evie’s face. Her breaths were coming in pants as she struggled with the pain. 

“Hey.” Mal whispered. She grabbed Evie’s hand and pressed it over her chest. “Do you feel that? Take deep breaths. Match my breathing.” 

It took a minute, but Evie was able to regulate her breathing just in time for the next contraction. She took a big breath and pushed. 

“That’s perfect! Big breath…keep going.” Dr. Addison started to count to 10. “Awesome! Stop and catch your breath for a second. Her head is out and she has a beautiful headful of indigo hair.” 

Evie’s breath caught in her throat and suddenly, none of this mattered. All she wanted was to meet her baby, her little miracle that was half her and half Mal. She gritted her teeth and pushed again. 

“Last push!” 

Evie shut her eyes as she pushed one more time. She suddenly felt a weight on her stomach and when she opened her eyes, she saw a baby.

Her baby. 

The little girl was covered in all kinds of fluids, but she was absolutely gorgeous. Evie’s tears came quick as she brought her hand up and touched the top of her daughter’s head. She stroked the matted down indigo hair that was the perfect mix of blue and purple. 

“Hi baby.” She whispered. “I’m your mama.” 

Andrea was next to her, wiping the baby down and rubbing her back. A few seconds later, she heard a loud cry. Evie couldn’t take her eyes off of her child. She was the perfect combination; Mal’s nose, cheeks, and ears, Evie’s eyes, lips, and chin. 

Suddenly, she felt herself come back to reality as Mal pressed kisses against the side of her face. “You’re so amazing. You did so good, baby. Oh my God. We’re moms. We…”

Evie silenced her by kissing her. She had never loved Mal as much as she did in that moment. As they separated, she looked into the clear green eyes she absolutely adored. 

“We have a baby.” 

“We have a baby.” Mal repeated. 

Evie grabbed her hand and brought it over to touch the baby’s head, trying to let her know that it was okay to be involved in this moment.

“We’re going to move her up to your chest to keep her warm.” Andrea stated. “Mal, can you unsnap the side of Evie’s gown?”

Mal leaned over, undoing the snaps that went from Evie’s neckline to her chest. Andrea gently lifted the baby and put her on Evie’s chest, then covered her up with a blanket. Her cries quieted as she snuggled into her mom. 

Evie shut her eyes and just rested for a moment. She knew that at some point, Mal cut the baby’s cord, but she wasn’t really paying attention anymore. 

“Evie, I need you to give a big push for me.” Dr. Addison said. 

Evie mustered up whatever strength she had left and pushed, feeling the placenta exit her body. After that, she was truly exhausted. Mal stayed by her side, stroking her fingers through her hair and keeping one hand on the baby’s back. 

“I was serious before. I will do literally anything you want me to do, E. You don’t even know how fucking amazing you are. You are the most perfect human being I have ever seen.” 

Evie smiled lazily. “Can you get in bed with me?”

“We’re going to take you up to a regular room in a few minutes and after that, Mal can sit in bed with you.” Andrea answered. “Right now, we need to finish cleaning you and baby up and then we’ll be on our way.” 

“M, stay with me.” Evie whispered. 

“There is no way I could ever leave you.” 

“I’m scared to go to sleep. I don’t want to miss any time with her.”

“We’ve got the rest of our lives with her. Close your eyes. I’m going to be right next to you and when we move rooms, I’ll wake you up.”

“Don’t let them take her away.”

Mal’s eyes flashed green. “Never.” The last thing Evie remembered was Mal giving her a kiss on the forehead, and then she was out. 

\-----

When Evie woke up, her first thought was that she hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep. Her second thought was that she had never felt so overwhelmed in her life. 

She could feel Mal’s arms wrapped around her and she could tell by her even breaths that she was asleep. She looked down and suddenly it hit her that this was all real. Her daughter was asleep on her chest and she had a real family. 

Before Evie could stop herself, she started to cry. She tried to stop herself so she wouldn’t wake them up, but Mal moved almost instantly. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Mal sat up so she could see her face. “Are you in pain?”

“No.” Evie’s voice came out a lot shakier than she meant it to. 

“Why are you crying?” Mal wiped her tears away. 

“I’m just so happy.” She finally sobbed. 

“Oh baby.” Mal laughed, pulling her close. Evie buried her face in Mal’s neck, careful not to disturb their daughter. After Evie calmed down, Mal stroked her face gently. “Are you okay?”

“Mmhmm.” 

“Why don’t you try and rest a little longer?” Right as she finished speaking, the baby started to move. Mal reached over and pressed the call button. “You’re still wanting to breastfeed, right?”

“Yeah.”

“The nurse is going to come in and help. Andrea went home for the night, but she said you’ll have a nurse named Julia.”

“Okay.” She stroked the baby’s back. “I’m sorry I’m hogging her.” 

“Don’t apologize. You just spent 23 hours in labor, so you kind of deserve it.” 

“Do you want to hold her?”

“I will after you feed her.” 

Evie just cuddled closer to her. Mal moved so Evie could lean against her chest and still cradle the baby. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door. 

“Hi, I’m Julia. How is everything going in here?”

“I think she’s getting hungry.” Evie told her. 

“You are still planning on breastfeeding, correct?” she nodded. “Okay, so what I’m going to have you do is unsnap the top of your gown and let it fall down to your waist.” 

Mal helped her since she was holding the baby. Once the cool air hit the little one’s skin, she started to cry. 

Julia showed Evie how to position the baby so that she would be the most comfortable. Luckily, their daughter was quick to catch on and she latched on after the first few tries. 

“You’re very lucky to have a quick learner. I think she’s a natural.”

“Thank you.” Evie stroked the baby’s cheek as she ate. 

“So, what are you thinking for a name?” Mal questioned. “We can’t just keep calling her ‘the baby’.”

“What about the one we talked about?”

Mal smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.” 

\-----

It was only 9am when Jay and Carlos came into Evie’s hospital room. Mal was laying on the bed with the baby on one side of her chest and Evie’s head on the other side. She held both of her girls as they slept. 

“Morning.” Jay greeted quietly. 

“How are they?” Carlos demanded. 

“Baby is good, 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Ten fingers and ten toes, and she’s a great eater.”

“And Evie?”

“Exhausted and sore, but good.” Mal couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her girl’s forehead. “She did amazing. She was in labor for a total of 23 hours.” 

“That’s insane.” Jay said in shock. “What did you name her?” 

“Evie will want to be awake to tell you.”

“Then wake her up! We need to know.”

“Absolutely not. She hadn’t slept for a day and a half, and now she’s been up every two hours to feed the baby.”

“How much longer until she needs to eat again?”

Mal glanced at the clock. “Like a half an hour.” 

The boys entertained themselves by watching the random show Mal had playing. They tried their best to stay quiet; they knew if they woke up Evie, it would piss off Mal, and they didn’t want to deal with that. 

Jay and Carlos heard a whimper at the same time. Both of their heads turned as they stared in wonder at the tiny human who made the sound. The baby moved her head around, her little mouth open as she searched for her source of food. 

“Wrong mom.” Mal said with a laugh. 

The laughter must have made her chest move, because right after, Evie woke up. She kept her eyes closed, but she was frowning. 

“M?” she called out. 

“You’re okay, E. I’m right here.” She soothed, stroking her fingers through Evie’s hair. 

“Where’s Willow?” 

The boys both gasped at the sound of the baby’s name, causing Evie to finally open her eyes. First, she looked around the room, finally calming down once she saw her daughter. Then, she turned to the boys. 

“Hi.” She greeted. 

“We heard you were amazing.” Carlos told her. He went over and kissed her forehead. “Congratulations, both of you.” 

“Thank you.” They said in perfect unison. 

“You kind of ruined the surprise.” Mal informed her. “I told them they had to wait until you were up to find out the baby’s name.”

Evie raised an eyebrow. “Well I was awake when I said it, right?” 

“True.” Mal kissed her temple. 

“Why don’t you tell them the full name?” 

“Jay, Carlos, meet Willow Eloise Moors.” Mal introduced proudly. “Willow, meet Uncle Jay and Uncle Carlos. They live at our house, so you’ll be seeing a lot of them. They will always take care of you.” 

“Wanna hold her?” Evie offered. 

“Wash your hands first.” Mal chimed in.

The boys raced to the bathroom to wash their hands. Evie leaned up and kissed Mal’s cheek. 

“I love you.” She whispered. 

“I love you more.” 

Evie kissed Willow’s cheek. “And I love you, my perfect baby girl.” 

Carlos came running out first. Evie sat up so that Mal could move, cradling Willow gently. “Sit at the end of the bed.” Mal commanded. Carlos did as she asked. She shifted the baby into his arms after directing him on how to sit so he could support her head and neck. 

“She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He said quietly. “Hi Willow, I’m Uncle Carlos. I’m so excited to meet you. I’m going to teach you all about computers and as soon as you’re old enough, I’m going to buy you a puppy.” 

Willow opened her eyes, her tiny face scrunching up as she got used to the new person holding her. 

“My turn.” Jay announced. 

Evie nodded. “Sit next to him.” Both mothers watched as Carlos carefully passed Willow to Jay. As soon as she was settled in his arms, she opened her tiny fist and held onto his finger. 

“She’s got Jay wrapped around her finger already.” Carlos joked. 

They all looked over in surprise as Evie busted into tears. 

“I’m sorry!” Carlos hurriedly said. 

“Here, do you want her back? You can take her!” Jay offered. 

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Mal just pulled Evie closer. She leaned in to whisper to her. “Our girl is pretty lucky, huh? She gets to have the world’s best moms and the best uncles. She’s going to love them so much.” 

Evie kneeled, letting out a slight whimper of pain but still crawling onto Mal’s lap. She buried her face in her neck as she continued to sob. 

“What’s wrong?” Jay questioned.

“Do you need me to get the doctor?” Carlos added. 

“Her hormones are everywhere.” Mal explained. “She’s happy crying.” Evie’s cries increased in volume, her body shaking as she clung to her girlfriend. 

“Are you sure? She doesn’t sound happy.” Jay said skeptically. 

“I’m sure.” Mal kissed the side of Evie’s face, then the top of her head. She ran her fingers up and down Evie’s back until she finally calmed down. Unfortunately, as soon as Evie stopped crying, Willow started. 

Evie lifted her head up, reaching her arms out towards Jay. He handed the baby to her as if she was the most fragile thing in the world. 

“You’re about to see boobs.” Mal stated right before Evie unsnapped her gown. She was grateful that Evie wasn’t shy around the boys because otherwise, she would have had to kick them out. Evie moved her gown aside and carefully lifted Willow to her breast. 

“She did it!” she cheered after a moment. 

“Good job! You did it all by yourself this time!” Mal kissed the tip of her nose. “My girl is supermom already.” 

“Stop, I don’t want to cry again.” 

“So, when are you going to have another one? I think we need a boy the next time.” Jay stated. 

Evie had never glared at someone as icily as she looked at Jay. “Do not talk about more babies for at least a year. You don’t even understand the amount of pain that comes with giving birth. It’s fucking miserable.” 

Carlos smiled at her. “But was it worth it?”

Evie looked down at her daughter and stroked her cheek gently. “So worth it.”


	4. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie is determined to make the VKs first Christmas a memorable one, but no one seems to be in the Christmas spirit.

The idea of Christmas was a foreign concept to the VKs. Sure, they knew it was some mushy Auradon holiday, but they had never put much thought into it otherwise. On the Isle, they barely had enough food to go around, let alone money for presents.

Out of the four teenagers, Evie was the one most excited for Christmas. No one was surprised; she was normally the most excited in general. Carlos couldn’t have cared less, Jay was wrapped up in Tourney, and Mal was so wrapped up in training her magic that she didn’t even realize it was December. But as they sat and listened to Lonnie and Jane explain the Christmas traditions to them, Evie’s eyes lit up brightly. 

Mal knew right then that she was going to have to do something drastic. 

She wouldn’t label herself as a romantic, but she could make a grand gesture for Evie when it was necessary. Back on the Isle, those gestures were usually stealing the best fabric or scrounging up food. Here in Auradon, Mal could actually plan something big and she felt herself getting more and more excited as Christmas approached. 

Harry, Uma, and Gil all lived at Auradon Prep, the boys rooming together and Uma rooming with Lonnie, but Mal knew that Evie would want them included in the festivities. Evie, Mal, Jay, and Carlos lived in Evie’s starter castle. Dizzy, Celia, Squeaky, and Squirmy went to the younger kid version of Auradon Prep; they were required to stay at the school during the week, but on weekends, they returned to Evie’s castle. Now that the entire school was on Christmas break, they were all free to sleep under the same roof, which made Mal’s plans much easier. 

She just hoped she could keep it a surprise for Evie. 

\-----

Evie was really starting to get annoyed by her friends’ lack of Christmas spirit. 

Okay, so she understood that it was wasteful to spend tons of money just for one day, especially with the state the Isle was in. But couldn’t they just be happy for once? She had tried unsuccessfully to rope her friends into Christmas plans, but they all refused. 

On Wednesday, she asked Dizzy and Celia to watch a cheesy Christmas movie with her. Both of the girls said they would rather do homework and disappeared from the room. 

On Thursday, she suggested to Mal the idea of making gingerbread houses. Normally, Mal gave in and compromised to make Evie happy. This time, she outright refused and then left to meet up with Fairy Godmother. 

On Friday, she went to Carlos to see if he would do some Christmas shopping with her. He told her it was pointless for her to buy gifts since no one would be buying her one in return. 

On Saturday, she had tried to rope Jay into going with her to bring home a Christmas tree. He said that he needed to go to practice, and asked why she was so fascinated with a dumb Auradon tradition anyway. 

On Sunday, she had even gotten desperate enough that she went to see Harry and Gil to ask if they would help her put lights up on her castle. They had both laughed and went back to their video games, not even sparing her a second glance. 

Now, it was Monday. Christmas was in just two days and she still had yet to do anything fun. She knew she could go along with Lonnie or Jane or Ben, but she wanted her family to participate. To her, Christmas was about the ones she loved the most and she just couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t want to celebrate a holiday about giving to each other. 

Evie walked into the bedroom she shared with her girlfriend, finding the purple haired girl hunched over her phone. As soon as she sat next to her, Mal jumped, shoving her phone under the pillow. 

“God, E, you scared me.” Mal huffed. 

“M?” Evie said, trying to approach the topic she really wanted to talk about. 

“E?” she repeated in amusement. 

“Can we please go ice skating?” 

Normally, Evie adored Mal’s laugh. But right now, it just sounded cruel. “Yeah right. There’s no way I could stay on my feet.”

“I’ll help you.”

“How can you help? You’ve never been ice skating before either.”

“Well if we could try, I could…”

“Not today, Princess.” Mal interrupted. “Wanna watch a movie or something?” 

Evie sighed. “No, that’s okay. I’ve got some designs to catch up on.” She pouted as she stood, waiting for Mal to give in. Her girlfriend just grabbed her phone again, so lost in her own world that she didn’t even give her princess a kiss. 

Evie went down the hallway to the twins’ room. She knocked, then pushed the door open slightly. “Squeaky? Squirmy?” 

“Hi Evie!” Squirmy greeted. The boys were still quiet most of the time, but they had learned to open up around the other VKs a little bit.

“I was just wondering if maybe you guys wanted to bake cookies or something.” 

“We can’t.” 

She noticed that they both had their shoes on and they were grabbing their coats. “Where are you off to?”

“Jay and Carlos are taking us into town.” Squeaky answered. “See ya later!” he grabbed his brother and they ran past her. 

Evie shook her head; she wasn’t even interesting enough for a couple of eight year olds. She went downstairs, hearing the door slam open seconds later. She looked up hopefully, thinking maybe the twins had changed their minds. She frowned again when she realized it was just Uma; the two girls rarely hung out alone, so she knew the chances of her wanting to do anything Christmas related was small. 

“What’s up, Blue?” Uma immediately went to the refrigerator, swinging open the doors and scanning over the food inside. 

“Nothing.” Evie let her chin rest in her hand. Ever since Lonnie and Jane told her about Christmas, she had thought about nothing but baking cookies, making gingerbread houses, going ice skating, decorating a tree, making ornaments, wrapping presents, and watching Christmas movies with her family. She just wished someone else cared. 

“You’re pouting.” Uma observed. “Where’s Mal? She never lets you pout.” 

“She’s busy.” Evie huffed. 

Uma smirked. “Awww, are you feeling a little neglected?” 

Evie didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but she finally just let all of her emotions spill out. “All I want is to celebrate Christmas and nobody cares! Every time I ask someone to do something, they say no. No one wants to make cookies or go shopping or even put up a tree. I know that Auradon traditions are usually stupid, but I was so excited and now I just want it to be over!” 

Uma just stared at her and Evie felt extremely self-conscious. Things between Mal’s crew and Uma’s crew had definitely improved, and they would all even consider each other friends now. But the individual relationships still needed a little work, and it was hard for Evie to connect with Uma since Mal was so protective over her and reluctant to let her around the girl who had been her enemy for much longer than her friend. 

“Evie, do you want to make cookies?” Uma questioned. 

Evie looked at her in surprised. That wasn’t at all what she was expecting the other girl to say, but she found herself nodding. “Yes.” 

“Go get the ingredients.” 

Evie gave off one of her brilliant smiles. She went over to the pantry, throwing open the door and pulling different items off the shelf. She lined them up on the counter and then turned to Uma.

“Okay, so what do you wanna do first?” Evie asked. 

“I don’t know anything about making cookies.” 

“Alright, I’ll teach you!” Evie grabbed a large bowl from one of the cabinets. “First, we start with flour.” 

Evie actually found herself enjoying Uma’s company as they moved around the kitchen together. Evie had been groomed into the perfect housewife by her mother, so she had learned to bake before she could read. Uma had some experience because of her mother’s restaurant, so the two made a great pair.

The blue haired girl smiled as they took out the first tray of chocolate chip cookies. “Perfect.” She declared.

“Yes you are.” Evie turned around, rolling her eyes at Mal’s words as the shorter girl came into the kitchen. “What’s that smell?” she looked around, then stopped and frowned when she saw the pan. “Cookies.” 

“Wanna try one?” Evie asked hopefully. She could see the irritation on Mal’s features, but she was confused. She didn’t see any reason for Mal to be upset, but she figured that it was something she had done. She looked down at the ground. “I’ll be back.” She turned and went upstairs, her good mood ruined. 

\-----

As soon as Evie disappeared up the stairs, Mal whipped around. “Uma, what the fuck!?” she whisper-yelled. “Did you not read the message I sent you?”

“Which one?” Uma asked, boredom clear in her tone as she tore apart a cookie. “You’ve been sending like a hundred a day.” 

“You know that I’ve been planning something special for Evie! We were all supposed to bake cookies together tomorrow.”

“Are you always this stupid?” 

Mal’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Seriously, I know you can be a little dense, but I’ve always thought you were pretty good when it came to reading Evie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re breaking that girl’s heart, Mal. I know you wanted to surprise her, but you keep making everyone shut down anything she asks them to do. She told me she’s ready for Christmas to be over because no one will listen to her.” 

“What?” Mal hadn’t even considered that she was pushing Evie away. She had planned to do everything Evie wanted on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, so when she had been asking, she just brushed her off. She never stopped to think about the other girl’s feelings. She thought back to Evie’s expression just now when she offered Mal a cookie and couldn’t help but groan. “I’m an idiot.” 

“Yeah.” Uma agreed. “Good thing Evie’s sickeningly in love with you. I bet she’ll forgive you.” 

Mal turned and went upstairs. She pushed open the bedroom door slowly, seeing Evie laying on her side on the bed. “E?” she called out. 

Then, she heard the sniffle. Her heart shattered at the fact that she had made her girlfriend, the one person she loved more than anything in this world, cry. She went over and sat down next to her. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Evie buried her face in her hands so Mal couldn’t see. She gently grabbed her hands, feeling like someone had punched her in the stomach when she saw her swollen eyes. “Shhh, no more crying.” She leaned forward and kissed each of her eyelids. 

“I don’t want you to be mad at me.” Evie mumbled through her tears. 

“Why would I be mad at you?” 

“Because I keep bringing up the Christmas stuff. I get it, you don’t want to do anything. I saw how mad you were when you saw the cookies. I won’t talk about it anymore.” 

“I’m not mad.” Mal interrupted. She stroked strands of blue hair away from tear-stained cheeks. 

Evie’s eyes welled up with fresh tears. “Then why won’t you do anything with me? I know it’s stupid Auradon stuff, but every time I ask someone to do something, they say no! Even the twins told me no.” she sniffled. “But it hurts my feelings the most when you say no because you don’t even give me a real reason, you just brush me off like you don’t care.” 

Mal couldn’t help herself. She reached out, pulling her sweet, sensitive girlfriend into a hug. She ran her fingers up and down her back, hoping to soothe her worries. 

When Evie calmed down, she pulled out of Mal’s arms, clearly still upset with the girl. The purple haired girl knew she had to think quick. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you.” She said. “The truth is, I know how important Christmas is to you. We all do. You do so much for all of us every single day, and we wanted to repay you, so we’ve been planning to surprise you with all the fun Christmas stuff tomorrow. We wanted to have two days where it could just be our VK family hanging out and doing all that stuff together.” 

Evie looked at her hopefully. “Really?”

“Really.” Mal kissed the tip of her nose. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.” 

Evie cuddled back into her. “Is that why you’ve been on your phone so much?”

She scoffed. “You have no idea how hard it is to coordinate all of this around 11 different people’s schedules.” 

Evie just nuzzled into her neck. “Can we take a nap? I haven’t gotten enough of you this week.” 

“Anything you want, baby.” Mal kissed her forehead. “How about after, we change into pajamas and watch one of those movies you keep talking about?” 

“Yes!” Evie nodded enthusiastically. 

Mal couldn’t resist kissing her. She put both hands on her cheeks, holding her in place so she could kiss her properly. As they were sitting there, she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she kissed her. 

“I really have been ignoring you this week, haven’t I?”

“Mmhmm.” Evie was content, her eyes shut as their foreheads rested together. 

“I think I owe you some kisses.” 

“I agree.” Evie said before tilting her head up to kiss her lips again. “A lot of kisses.” 

“I’m sorry I made you cry.” 

Evie grinned. “Well now you’re making me smile, so it evens out.” She cuddled closer to her. “Nap time, remember?” 

“Close your eyes, Princess.” Mal stroked her fingers through Evie’s hair, allowing the motion to soothe both of them to sleep. 

\-----

The next morning, Evie woke up to a fluttering sensation on her cheek. She frowned, trying to push whatever it was away. She was a believer in sleeping in as late as possible and she couldn’t believe something had dared to get in the way of that. 

The fluttering happened again and her eyes flew open, coming face to face with something green. She stared in confusion, her eyes struggling to adjust to the change in light. Then, she saw Mal. 

“Happy Christmas Eve, baby.” She greeted, then shook some kind of plant that was in her hand. “Do you know what this is?”

Evie couldn’t help but smile as realization hit her. “Mistletoe.” 

“Uh-huh. And do you know what you have to do under mistletoe?” 

She smirked. “No, I don’t think I do. Maybe you can show me.” 

Mal held the mistletoe above them with one hand, then leaned down to seal their lips. After a few seconds, it was obvious she had dropped it because both of her hands came up to pin Evie’s wrists to the bed above her head. Evie just gave in, sighing into the kiss. 

They finally had to separate for air. Evie’s chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, but Mal kept moving. She trailed her kisses down to Evie’s neck, scratching her teeth gently over the tanned skin. 

“Excuse me, you’re supposed to kiss under the mistletoe, not do all that.” 

Evie opened her eyes at the sound of Celia’s voice. She saw Carlos, Jay, Celia, and Dizzy standing in the doorway, smiling in amusement. 

“Get out.” Mal ordered before going back to kiss Evie’s lips again. 

Evie returned the kiss for a second, then pushed her off and sat up. “Good morning!” 

“Yeah, looks like it.” Jay teased. “Get dressed, make sure you’re in something warm. We have to go cut down a Christmas tree.” 

Evie squealed and jumped out of bed, running over to the closet. She heard the others leave and a second later, arms wrapped around her waist. 

“This is all about you, beautiful.” Mal informed her. “We’re going to go cut down a tree, then come back and decorate it, then bake sugar cookies that we can decorate, and after that we’ll go ice skating. When we come back, we’ll have a gingerbread competition, then drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. Is there anything else you can think of that you want to do?”

“No, that’s perfect.” Evie turned around, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend’s neck. “Thank you, M.” 

“I just want you to be happy.” She kissed her cheek. 

“I am.” Evie smiled. “Now get dressed!” 

That day in Auradon was especially cold. Evie was grateful that she was wrapped up in a warm, blue coat with red gloves, a red scarf, and a blue hat. As the group of VKs walked up to the Christmas tree lot, Evie noticed that Mal was staring at her. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she wondered. 

“Your nose is so red.” Mal told her, leaning up to rub their noses together. “You’re so fucking cute.” 

Evie just smiled. She loved when Mal was happy like this and didn’t care about acting tough. 

“Alright, which one are we thinking?” Jay questioned. “Princess, do you see one you like?”

“Not yet.” She admitted. “Let’s keep looking.”

As they walked, she felt Mal’s fingers intertwine with hers. She shivered as the wind blew, causing Mal to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer. 

The minute Evie saw the tree, she knew it had to be theirs. She also knew that the boys were not going to be happy- it was tall and wide and would be heavy. 

Mal must have noticed the way Evie’s gaze lingered because she stopped her. “Do you see one?” 

Evie pointed out the tree. “Do you think the boys can cut down that one?” 

“We’re getting that one!” Mal announced, pointing towards the one her girlfriend wanted. Evie saw Jay just nod in understanding and then he grabbed the saw. 

“It’s perfect!” Dizzy exclaimed before throwing herself into Evie’s arms. “I’m so happy I don’t have to pretend to hate Christmas anymore.” 

Evie laughed and hugged the younger girl. “Me too.” 

After a lot of grunting and cursing, the tree started to lean. “Stand back!” Carlos called out. Harry and Gil pushed it until it completely fell. 

Evie was practically bouncing as the four boys worked together to lift the tree. She followed right behind them, one hand locked with Mal’s and the other with Dizzy’s. Uma was next with Celia, and then Squeaky and Squirmy brought up the rear. 

Carrying the tree had been easy compared to tying it down to the car. Eventually, Evie came over to the boys. “Here, hand me the rope. I can do it.” 

Jay looked fed up with the situation and passed her the rope without another word. Evie opened the car and stood on the backseat so she could reach while Jay kept his hand locked securely on her back to keep her from falling. Uma climbed up on the other side and together, they tied down the tree. 

Everyone split off into the separate cars that Ben had let them borrow for the day. Jay drove the first with Carlos in the passenger’s seat and Evie, Mal, Squeaky, and Squirmy in the back. Gil drove the other with Uma, Harry, Celia, and Dizzy. 

When they got back to Evie’s, she ran ahead inside to clear a space for the tree. She worried that the tree would be too tall, but when the boys brought it in, she realized it was the perfect height. She positioned the tree right in front of the window so that it could be seen from outside. 

“Time to decorate!” Celia called out as Mal, Gil, and Carlos each brought in a big box full of decorations. 

“Where did these come from?” Evie wondered. 

“We did a little shopping.” Mal said with a smile. She pulled out a box of royal blue ornaments. “Can you guess who I picked these out for?” 

Evie leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I love you.” 

“Not as much as I love you.” 

Evie strung the gold lights across the branches first, and then they set off to decorate. Mal pulled out a blue and white tree skirt that had little snowflakes on it and wrapped it around the base. 

Next came the ornaments. Evie was a little worried about how things would look since it was obvious that ornaments had been bought in each person’s signature color. But after the entire thing was done, the mixture of blue, purple, red, turquoise, black, and silver actually looked really nice. 

“The last part is the star.” Mal handed it over to her girlfriend. 

Evie smiled, looking over at the twins. “Do you guys wanna put it on?”

“Really!?” Squirmy shouted in excitement, the loudest they had ever heard him speak. 

The blue haired girl couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, really. Gil, Harry, you guys wanna give them a hand?” Each of the pirates picked up one of the boys and together, they placed the star perfectly on top.

Evie felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and she instantly relaxed into her girlfriend. A light kiss was placed against her neck. 

“Is it everything you imagined?”

“It’s even better.” Evie admitted. “Thank you.” 

“Alright everybody, time to bake some cookies!” she noticed that all the boys looked sticky from the pine tree sap and needles. “You all can go shower while Evie bakes.” 

“Don’t gotta tell me twice.” Jay muttered as he tried to detangle pine needles from his hair as he walked upstairs. 

Evie took the lead in making the cookie dough, which Mal figured she would do. She didn’t know the first thing about baking, so she just hung back and let her do her thing. Evie made sure to get Celia, Dizzy, and the twins involved in the cooking part. 

“How about some music?” Uma suggested before turning on the radio. Songs about snowmen and reindeer immediately filled the room. 

Evie had just placed a tray of cookies in the oven, so Mal knew it was the perfect opportunity. She came over and grabbed her hand before pulling her close.

“What are you doing, M?” Evie giggled. 

“Dancing.” 

“Shit, you would think Mal was the one dying to celebrate Christmas.” Uma joked, seeing the completely dazed look on the other girl’s face. Celia and Dizzy laughed at her comment. 

Mal and Evie were lost in their own little world. Mal spun her around the kitchen, pulling her close and then dipping her down so she could kiss her.

“Ewww!” Squeaky and Squirmy shouted in perfect unison, making everyone else laugh. Mal gave Evie one more kiss before letting her get back to the cookies. 

By the time they were all cooked and cooled, the boys were all clean. Everyone sat down at the table together as Mal passed out ingredients. 

“…and I got icing in every color I could find, plus sprinkles. There’s more stuff that I was planning on using for the gingerbread houses later, but if this isn’t enough, we can grab it and use it now and…”

“Icing and sprinkles is great.” Evie interrupted with a smile. 

The music drifted quietly through the room as everyone decorated cookies shaped like stockings, reindeer, snowmen, angels, and Santa Claus. Then, Carlos accidentally squeezed his tube of icing a little too hard and a glob of it flew across the table, smacking Uma across the cheek. 

“Oh, it’s like that, DeVil?” she questioned, jumping to her feet. She aimed her own icing at him, but she moved too far to the left and hit Celia instead. 

Celia stood with a devious smirk on her face and squeezed her tube as hard as she could, moving it back and forth so she could hit everyone across the table. Mal, Evie, Dizzy, and Harry all looked at her in shock, and then the food fight broke out. 

Icing and sprinkles flew everywhere as they all tried to retaliate. Mal glanced over at Evie, hoping she wasn’t mad at the change of events. She smiled when she saw her girlfriend sneaking up on Jay before shooting some straight in his face. 

It didn’t take long before they ran out of icing. There was still a dozen plain cookies, but everyone was smiling and happy, so Mal counted it as a win. She grabbed a plain cookie and leaned over, scooping some icing off of Evie’s cheek and then taking a bite. 

“Delicious.” She stated, making Evie laugh. The girl had different colored icing caked on her hair, face, and clothes, but she had never looked more beautiful. 

“What’s next, Mal?” Carlos wondered. 

“Ice skating.” Mal smiled when she saw Evie’s excitement. This was the thing she had been asking for the most, and Mal couldn’t wait for her to actually get out on the ice. “Let’s all get cleaned up and then we’ll go.” 

An hour later, they were all cleaned, redressed in warm clothes, and standing outside of Auradon’s famous ice skating rink. They each rented a pair of skates from the person working at the counter and then headed over to the benches. 

“Have any of you ever skated before?” the man questioned them. 

“No.” Mal answered for the group. 

“Make sure you tie your laces tight, it’ll help you keep your ankles straighter and reduce the risk of hurting them when you fall. We have cones over there that the kids can hold onto to help them stay up. Try and slide your feet instead of picking them up.”

“Thank you.” Evie said before he left them alone. She slid her boots onto her feet and grabbed the laces, pulling them as hard as she could. As soon as she let go, Mal came over and grabbed them again, pulling even tighter. She tied them for Evie, who rolled her eyes when she finished. 

“What? Can’t let my girl go out there and break her ankle.” Mal walked carefully over to Dizzy and pulled her skates tight for her. Uma made sure Celia’s were tight, while Carlos and Jay took care of the twins. Now that they were all ready, they made their way towards the ice. 

Evie was easily the most graceful of them all on a normal day. Jay probably came in second since he needed the coordinated footwork in order to play Tourney. In Mal’s mind, she thought it would be the little ones who needed help during ice skating. 

As soon as Evie stepped on the ice, she grabbed the side of the rink. She took a deep breath and then let go, trying to follow the man’s directions to slide her feet. For a couple glorious seconds, she was actually doing it. Then, her feet slid out from under her and she slammed down into the ice. 

“Holy shit.” She muttered, rubbing her butt as she tried to stand. She was barely able to get back on her feet and then Carlos came up behind her, slamming into her and sending them both crashing to the ground. 

“C’mon, Evie, it’s not that hard!” Dizzy called out as she flew by her, Celia on her heels. Even Squeaky and Squirmy passed by them, then fell a few seconds later. To Evie’s surprise, they didn’t even struggle with standing back up and then they were gliding across the ice again. 

Evie felt hands under her arms and she smiled in appreciation as Harry hoisted her to her feet. She slid another couple steps forward and then nearly fell, reaching out for the boy to steady herself. 

“You okay, Princess?” Harry questioned with a smirk. 

“It’s harder than I thought it would be.” She admitted. “Where’s Mal?” she turned her head towards where he pointed, seeing that her girlfriend’s hands were still glued to the wall of the rink. Their eyes locked right as Evie lost her balance again. She pouted up at the other girl, making Mal smile. 

“You good, babe?” Mal called out. 

“At least I let go of the wall.” Evie countered. 

Mal took that as a challenge and let go. She slid forward, and it wasn’t until she was crashing into Evie that she realized she didn’t know how to stop. Luckily, Evie braced herself and was able to stop them from falling. A second later, Uma came up behind them and fell, taking them both down with her. She fell directly on top of Mal, then pushed against her to help herself stand up. Uma started to slide forward. 

“You could at least help us up!” Mal shouted. 

“Yeah, if you want me to fall again.” Uma argued. 

Mal brought herself to her feet, then reached out to help Evie. She was proud when they both managed to stand. They kept their hands locked as they actually glided for a couple feet. Evie nearly fell again, but Jay came up next to her and caught her before she could fully slip. 

By the end of their time ice skating, Mal was happy she had made sure Evie’s skates were extra tight because if she hadn’t, she was sure her girlfriend would have broken both of her ankles. Evie spent more time on the ground than anyone else, but she had been determined to keep trying. Mal finally called it after she realized Evie’s pants were completely soaked through and she was shivering. No one protested as they all changed back into their regular shoes and returned their skates. 

“Turn the heat up.” Mal commanded as soon as they got in the car. She rubbed Evie’s thighs, hoping to create a little bit of heat. 

“M-M-Mal, can we s-s-skip the gingerbread h-h-houses until t-t-tomorrow? I’m ready f-f-for m-m-movies.” Evie said through chattering teeth.

“Whatever you want, baby.” Mal kissed her cheek. As soon as they got home, Mal ushered her inside and up to their room. 

“I’m okay.” Evie tried to reassure her, but Mal wasn’t having it. She pulled her into the attached bathroom and started the shower, then started stripping Evie out of her clothes.

“Damn, E.” Mal winced when she saw Evie’s butt and the back of her thighs. “I know you fell a lot but I didn’t know you would be this bruised up.” 

Evie laughed. “Obviously ice skating isn’t my thing. I had fun though.” She pulled her close. “Thank you for trying so hard to make me happy today.” 

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” Mal kissed the tip of her nose. “Get in the shower so you can get warm.” 

After everyone was warmed up and dressed, they gathered in the living room. Mal sat down on the couch with Dizzy in the middle and Celia on the end. Carlos and Jay took one loveseat while Uma, Harry, and Gil squeezed onto the other. Squeaky and Squirmy brought down blankets and made a big bed on the floor. Evie turned on the movie and then went over to her girlfriend, settling on her lap. 

Mal wrapped both arms around her waist and held her tightly, hoping the other girl knew just how important she was to her. By the end of the first movie, Evie had fallen asleep with her face resting in the crook of Mal’s neck. Despite this, the others still voted on playing another Christmas movie. 

Later that night, after they had dinner and everyone had gone up to bed, Mal smiled at Evie. “Guess what we get to do now.”

“What?”

“Play Santa.” Mal grabbed her hand and snuck towards the stairs. “C’mon.” 

They went downstairs quietly, their path easily lit by the large Christmas tree. Mal opened up the door to the hall closet that they never really used and Evie was surprised to see that it was full of presents. 

“What are all those?” Evie wondered. 

“We all bought presents for each other.” Mal looked at her girlfriend. “Did you have time to finish yours?”

“What do you mean?” Evie tried to play it off, silently questioning how she knew. 

“Lonnie sold you out. I had to make sure you got everyone a present. I figured you would, but I didn’t want you to be embarrassed if everyone had a present on Christmas morning for you but you didn’t return the favor. She told me you had already started making some stuff.” 

Evie nodded. “It’s all wrapped in my sewing room.” 

“Perfect. Go grab it and bring it in here and I’ll start taking this stuff out.” 

By the time they were finished, the room was full of presents. Everyone had managed to grab at least one present for each member of their family. Evie and Mal couldn’t wait to see the looks on the kids’ faces tomorrow- even they had never seen this much stuff in one room, so they couldn’t imagine how it would look to the little ones. 

Mal grabbed Evie’s hand and pulled her over so she could give her a hug. “This was the best day ever.” Evie admitted as she rested her head on Mal’s shoulder. 

“I’m glad you had fun.” Mal smiled before leaning forward to kiss her. “Merry Christmas, baby.”


	5. Drunk

If there was one thing in this world that Mal loved, it was Evie. She had been enamored by the girl since they were children, and as they got older, that love only grew.

Mal and Evie had a lot in common. They were both born on the Isle, fall is their favorite season, they are artistically talented, and they can’t fall asleep unless as much of them is touching as possible. But they also have a lot of differences- Evie is obsessed with fashion, while Mal couldn’t care less what she wears. Evie is sweet and outgoing, while sometimes it is like pulling teeth to even get Mal to say one word responses. Evie loves parties and crowds, while Mal would rather be with only her close friends. 

That last one was the thing that Mal was dealing with tonight. 

After Auradon Prep, the VKs had gone off to college together at Auradon University. Mal and Evie are still roommates, and luckily all of their closest friends are nearby. Jay, Carlos, Harry, Gil, and Lonnie play for the Tourney team, which secured another win thanks to Jay and Lonnie’s amazing co-captain abilities. To celebrate, they wanted to go out. 

Mal didn’t want to go to the game. It’s not that she had anything against her friends; she loved seeing them play. But it had been a long week and she was tired and didn’t want to deal with the crowds. All it took was one pouty look from Evie and she was pulling on her boots and walking over to the tourney field with her girlfriend. 

Then, the team won and the stands erupted into cheers. Mal knew that there would be a celebration, and as soon as Jay and Carlos came out of the locker room, she walked over with Evie to congratulate them. Jay told them they were going out, which immediately had Evie turning to look at Mal hopefully. 

“I’m really tired, but you should go.” Mal told her girlfriend. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I just need a little break from people.” She gave her a kiss. “I’ll see you when you get home.”

“M’kay.” Evie agreed. 

Mal turned to Jay, grabbing him by the collar and snatching him down so he was closer to her height. “I swear to God, Jay, if anything happens to Evie while I’m not there, I’ll beat your ass. If you thought me turning into a dragon and fighting Audrey was bad, then just wait and see what happens if I need to go after you.”

Jay audibly gulped. “Message received.” 

“You keep your eyes on her the entire night.” She looked at Carlos. “That goes for you too.” 

“Don’t worry, Mal. We’ve got E’s back.” He slung his arm around Evie’s shoulder. 

That had been a couple hours ago. It was now 2am and Mal was laying in the bed she shared with Evie, staring up at the ceiling. She had tried her best to go to sleep, but she just couldn’t get comfortable without Evie’s weight on top of her. 

Her ringtone was loud in the silence of the dorm room and Mal jumped, knocking her phone off the table. She reached down to pick it up and turned it over, seeing a picture of Carlos pop up. 

“Hello?” she answered. 

The music was blaring in the background and she could barely hear his voice. “…Mal…can’t…Evie…go…”

“Carlos, I can’t hear anything you’re saying.” She told him. He hung up the phone. 

Mal sat up, switching to her messages app. She sent a quick text to Evie, asking if everything was okay, and then locked her phone again. Her phone vibrated and she looked, hoping it was her girlfriend. 

_From: Carlos  
Hey so we might need your help_

_To: Carlos  
With what? _

_To: Carlos  
Is Evie okay? _

_To: Carlos  
I swear, Carlos, if anything happened to her I’m coming after you first _

_From: Carlos  
She’s okay. Really drunk, but otherwise she’s fine _

Mal raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had known Evie since they were children, so of course she had seen Evie drunk before, but that was back when they were on the Isle. Now that they were older, she usually paced herself and stopped before she could go anywhere past buzzed.

_To: Carlos  
Evie is drunk?_

_From: Carlos  
Well drunk might be an understatement _

_From: Carlos  
We can’t get her to leave_

_To: Carlos  
Where are you? _

Mal took off her pajama pants, replacing them with a pair of jeans. She slid her boots on and grabbed her wallet, keys, and phone, then charged out of the dorm room. Carlos sent her the name of the bar as she got into her car. 

What did he mean they couldn’t get her to leave? She was honestly confused about what was happening. It didn’t take her long to get to the bar and she parked her car, then ran across the street. 

“ID please.” Security stopped her at the door. 

Mal pulled her ID out of her wallet and flashed it towards the man, then stormed into the bar. She scanned her eyes over the crowd, looking for blue. 

“Mal!” she heard someone yell her name and turned in that direction, seeing it was Ben and Audrey. 

“Where’s Evie?” she demanded. 

“Last I saw her, she was dancing.” Ben answered. 

“What the fuck is going on? Is she really that drunk?” 

“Well, the boys challenged her to a drinking contest.” Audrey explained.

Mal frowned. “Which boys?”

“Jay and Harry.” 

“Jay lost first, but I think Harry beat Evie.” Ben chimed in.

“Of course he did! He was a fucking pirate who lived on a ship on an island with a barrier around it. What did she think he did all day on that ship, clean?” Mal shook her head. 

“Hey everybody!” 

A familiar voice caught her attention and she turned towards the stage, getting her first glimpse of her girlfriend. 

“My name’s Evie.” She slurred, still wearing her heels even though she was stumbling.

“Take your clothes off!” a guy from the crowd shouted at her, and Mal felt her eyes start to light up. 

Evie laughed. “Sorry, you’re not my type.” She stumbled again as she clutched the microphone. “This song is for my girlfriend Mal. She’s not here but I love her and I miss her so much.” 

Mal couldn’t help the small smile that stretched across her face. Evie broke out into song and though she was a little more pitchy than normal, Mal still enjoyed listening to her beautiful voice. As the song started to end, Mal began making her way towards the stage. 

Evie’s eyes lit up in the middle of the line she was singing and she gasped. “Mal!” she put the microphone back on the stand and walked to the stairs, trying to hurry down them but nearly falling. Mal ran over to her, catching her before she could face plant. 

“Hi beautiful.” Mal greeted, brushing her hair out of her face. Evie’s eyes were unfocused, she was flushed, and she was giving her a dopey smile, all of which were telltale signs that she was drunk. “I liked your song.” 

“It was for you!” Evie told her, speaking much louder than usual. “I wanna dance.” 

“I think it’s time for us to go.” 

“Nooo!” Evie whined, squirming out of her grasp. She moved quickly, turning and going back into the crowd of people. 

Mal shook her head and followed after her girlfriend. Evie had somehow managed to find Uma, Jay, Harry, and Gil, who were all praising her for her song. 

“Well look who it is!” Uma teased when she saw Mal come over. “Couldn’t stay away from us?”

“Carlos called and said he couldn’t get Evie to leave.” 

Jay seemed to notice Mal then and his eyes widened as he jumped to duck behind Evie. 

The girl giggled. “What are you doing, Jay?” 

“Your girlfriend is gonna kill me. She won’t do anything if you’re right here.” Jay explained, and Evie just laughed again. 

“How much has she had to drink?” Mal wondered. 

Uma shrugged. “I didn’t know I was on babysitting duty for a grown ass woman.” 

Mal looked back to Evie, who was now dancing with Jay. Even though it was past 2:30am, the bar was still packed tight with college students. As Mal felt the sweat drip down her back, she remembered why she didn’t like going to places like this. 

Mal squeezed her way out of the center of the dance floor, her eyes finally landing on Carlos. She went over to the boy who looked just as tired as she was. 

“She wouldn’t leave?” he asked. 

“No, she said she wants to dance.” Mal said. “We’re gonna have to get everyone to leave. Who all is driving?” 

“I have my car and Ben has his, so we haven’t been drinking.” 

Both of their attention was caught by loud cheering. They turned to look at the bar, where Evie was now standing with Harry. They slammed back a shot at the same time, earning cheers from the people watching around them. 

Mal grimaced. “She’s gonna feel like shit tomorrow.”

The music changed and Harry wrapped his arms around Evie’s waist, spinning her around the bar. Unfortunately, they were both too drunk and he lost his footing. Mal watched as they fell in slow motion, the two of them slamming down onto the bar and then bursting out laughing. 

“Okay, time to go.” Mal insisted. She and Carlos walked past Audrey and Ben, who joined them in trying to get the others to leave. 

When they got over to the bar, Evie was rubbing the back of her head. She was talking to Jay, who laughed at whatever she said; Mal wasn’t confident Jay even knew because Evie’s voice was so slurred that she couldn’t understand her. 

“More shots!” Uma shouted, motioning for the bartender to come over. 

“No, we’re done for tonight.” Mal told her, coming over to stand in front of Evie. She put her hands on her hips to keep her in place. Evie instantly leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Mal and leaning her head on top of her girlfriend’s. 

“Last round!” Harry called out to all their friends. He started taking the shot glasses and passing them out. 

Evie sat up right in time to take one from Harry’s outstretched hand. Mal tried to grab it from her. 

“Uh-uh, M. This is mine.” She said. 

“I think you’re good, baby.” She tried to take it again. 

Evie pulled it away and downed it quickly. Mal knew right then that that would be the shot that sent Evie over the edge. As soon as she swallowed it, she grimaced and her entire body lurched forward as she started to gag. Somehow, she managed to keep it down. 

Unfortunately, Harry wasn’t as lucky. He leaned over and threw up over the side of the bar. When Evie heard the noise, she turned around and laughed. 

“I win, bitch!” she yelled, holding her hands high in victory. Everyone around them started to cheer. 

“Someone kill me.” Mal grumbled. “Come on, guys. Let’s go outside.” 

Evie’s eyes started to close as her head leaned forward, but she jerked her head back. “I wanna dance.” She argued. 

Mal was over the arguing. She was still standing in front of Evie, so she just leaned forward, putting her hands under Evie’s thighs and lifting her up. She squealed and wrapped her legs around Mal’s waist instinctively.

“I love how strong you are.” Evie said, leaning in and planting a kiss on Mal’s lips. Mal grimaced; she tasted like alcohol instead of her usual sweetness. 

Audrey was pulling Uma and Gil out, while Carlos was trying to reason with Jay, and Ben was attempting to help Harry down from on top of the bar. 

Evie rested her head on Mal’s shoulder as she weaved through the crowds of people. At first, it was completely innocent. But a few seconds later, Mal started to feel her lips trailing over her neck. 

“E, stop.” She scolded. 

Evie pulled back to look at her and all Mal saw was the puppy dog eyes and pout. “You don’t love me?”

“Of course I love you, but baby, you’re drunk. We’re not doing anything while you’re drunk.” 

“Oh, so now you’re being chivalrous?” the last word came out a little jumbled, but Mal understood what she was trying to say. “You weren’t last night when you…”

“Stop.” Mal interrupted, seeing Audrey’s smirk as she listened to Evie. 

“No, keep going. I would _love_ to hear what Mal was doing.” 

Evie perked up, trying to lift her head from Mal’s shoulder. The purple haired girl just put her hand on the back of Evie’s head, forcing it to stay on her shoulder. 

They finally made it outside and Mal breathed in relief at the rush of cool air. It had been incredibly hot inside the bar and now she felt like she could actually breathe again. 

“Harry, no!” Ben shouted as he followed the dark haired boy out of the bar. He jumped up onto the small stone wall outside of the bar. He launched off onto a drunken speech that Mal couldn’t even pretend to listen to. She still had Evie clinging to her, her legs around Mal’s waist and arms around her neck. Mal rocked gently back and forth, knowing she would have the best luck at leaving if her girlfriend fell asleep. 

“No.” Evie moaned miserably. She tried to sit up again, but Mal kept her hand on her head. “No, Mal.” She sat up quickly and leaned over, throwing up on the sidewalk. 

“Who’s the winner now!?”Jay shouted. 

“Still Evie because she threw up last.” Carlos reminded him. 

Mal stroked Evie’s hair gently. “Are you finished throwing up?” 

Carlos came over with a bottle of water. He held it to Evie’s lips, encouraging her to drink. Then, he put a mint on her tongue. 

Mal made a mental note that she was no longer going to kill Carlos. But Jay? He was as good as dead when morning came, so she hoped he enjoyed his last night on Earth. 

Evie clung to Mal tighter, turning her head so she could bury her face in Mal’s neck. She was starting to get heavy, but when she tried to put her down, she whimpered. 

“No, M.” Evie whined. “I want you.” 

“You have to walk to the car, E.” 

Evie groaned, but let her feet touch the ground. As soon as they did, she stumbled on her heels and fell. 

“Wow, who knew the princess was such a sloppy drunk.” Uma commented. 

“Maybe if one of you had been looking out for her, she wouldn’t be this drunk.” Mal snapped. She reached down and pulled Evie back up to her feet. 

“Don’t worry, Mal. I’ll take care of this.” Jay said, stumbling over out of nowhere. He effortlessly scooped Evie up into his arms. 

“Mal!” Evie called out, reaching her arms towards her. 

“Sorry Princess, your fault for picking someone so tiny as your girlfriend.” Jay teased her. 

“Shut the fuck up, Jay. Your boyfriend is literally the same height.” 

Carlos rolled his eyes. “I’m taller than you.” 

“Yeah, _now_.” Evie said, then groaned again, slamming her eyes shut. “M?” 

“I’m right here, baby. Jay’s going to carry you to the car.” Mal reached out, unbuckling Evie’s heels and sliding them off her feet. She turned to the others. “Does everyone have a ride home?” they all nodded. “Come on, Jay.” 

She kept a hand on her friend’s arm, guiding him to the car. Mal unlocked the doors and then opened the passenger’s side. Jay, despite his drunken state, set Evie down so carefully that Mal almost smiled. He even reached over and buckled her seatbelt for her. 

Mal added a note to her mental checklist- she would make Jay’s death quick and painless. 

“See you tomorrow.” Jay told them, pressing a quick kiss to Evie’s cheek. He jogged back across the street and climbed into Carlos’s car. 

After Mal made sure everyone was safe and in the car, she pulled off and drove towards the dorm. Evie’s eyes were closed, but she was smiling. 

“What are you so happy about?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

“You.” Evie answered, her smile getting even bigger. “You came to save me.” 

“Princess, I will always come to save you.” Mal reached over and grabbed her hand, pressing a quick kiss to the back of it. 

It didn’t take long to get to the dorm. Evie was half asleep, so Mal knew asking her to walk was pointless. She figured that if she walked quick, she could carry Evie up to their dorm room. 

“Time to go to our room.” She announced, then reached down to lift Evie up. 

“I can walk.” Evie slurred. She stepped out of the car with her shoes in hand and instantly stumbled. She would have fallen if Mal wasn’t so close to her. 

Mal grabbed the shoes from her hand and tossed them back into the car, knowing they could just get them tomorrow. “Can you get on my back?” 

“No, I can walk.”

“Evie, every time you walk, you almost fall!”

Suddenly, Evie started to pout, looking like she could cry at any second. Mal rubbed her temples, confused on the sudden mood change. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t call me that.” 

“What?” 

Evie frowned even harder. “My name is baby or E or Princess, not _Evie_.” She said her name in a mocking tone. 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Mal kissed her cheek. “Now please just get on my back so we can go inside.” 

Evie huffed, but got onto her back. The one positive of Evie being drunk was that her attention span was much shorter, so before they even got into the building, she was happy and giggling again. 

It took a little longer than normal, but Mal finally got them inside. She walked into their dorm and turned around, dropping Evie onto the bed. She immediately sprawled out on her back and let out a content sigh. 

“Mmmm, home.” She hummed with a smile. “Bedtime.” 

“Almost.” Mal promised. As tired as she was, she knew Evie would be pissed tomorrow if she let her go to sleep with her face still covered in makeup. So even though it was after 3am, Mal pulled Evie out of bed and guided her to the bathroom. She lifted her up to sit on the counter. “Where are your makeup wipes?”

“Under the sink.” Evie said, sounding even more slurred now that she was almost asleep. 

Mal grabbed the makeup wipes and pulled one out, getting to work on Evie’s face. She rubbed carefully, trying not to irritate her girlfriend’s skin as she cleaned off the makeup and sweat that was clogging her pores. She never realized how hard it could be to clean off someone who was drunk, but Evie kept laughing and pulling away, making the process take even longer. 

“I’m sweaty.” Evie complained. 

“Yeah, it’s from all the dancing.” 

“I wanna shower.” 

Mal shook her head. “There is no way you’re getting in the shower.” 

“But M, I feel dirty!” she complained. 

Mal shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to five. She really, _really_ didn’t want to yell at Evie, but she was getting close to losing it. “Evie…” she stopped, remembering her girlfriend’s statement from earlier. “ _Baby_ …” she corrected, “you can barely sit up. There is no way you’re going to be able to stand to take a shower. Let’s lay down and you can shower in the morning, okay?”

“Only if you promise.” 

“Promise what?”

“That you’ll still cuddle me.” 

Mal smiled, giving her a kiss on the nose. “Nothing could ever stop me from cuddling you.” She grabbed Evie’s toothbrush and put a dab of toothpaste on it. “Here, brush.” 

Evie did as she said. After she was finished, she wrapped her arms around Mal’s neck. Mal leaned in and gave her a kiss, then smiled and rested their foreheads against each other. 

“You don’t taste like alcohol anymore.” 

Evie’s eyes fluttered open. “I’m really tired.” 

“I know, baby. It’s bedtime.” Mal helped her down and kept an arm glued around her waist as they walked into the bedroom. 

Evie laid face first on the bed. Mal leaned forward, grabbing her shoulders and gently turning her around. Her hands went straight to the button on Evie’s pants.

“I thought you were being chivalrous.” Evie said, her eyes still shut. 

“You can’t sleep in these clothes.” Mal told her as she pulled her leather pants off and tossed them to the side. She helped Evie sit, then took off her jacket and shirt. She unhooked her bra next and as soon as that was off, Evie laid down again. 

Mal changed back into her pajamas and returned to bed with a sweatshirt. She slid it carefully over Evie’s head, grimacing at her mess of blue tangles. She grabbed a brush and ran it through Evie’s hair, ignoring all the grumbling and complaining. 

“There.” Mal said, gathering the hair at the top of her head and putting it in a ponytail. She reached over and grabbed a bottle of Ibuprofen from her bedside table. She shook a few into her hand and then grabbed Evie’s chin, forcing her to open her mouth. She put the pills on her tongue and then instructed her to drink. 

“Time for sleep.” Evie practically whispered. She rolled over, laying her body on top of Mal’s. “Hey M?”

“Hmmm?”

“Thanks for helping me.” 

“Anything for you, baby.” She kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams. You’re going to need them with the massive headache you’re going to wake up with tomorrow.” 

Evie laughed. “Yeah, tomorrow is gonna suck.” 

“Don’t worry.” Mal kissed her forehead. “I’ll help you through it.”


	6. *Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie is fed up with Mal choosing to pay more attention to video games than her. She comes up with a plan to finally get mal to focus on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I have written or posted something like this, so who knows how it will turn out!

There were many things that Evie loved about Auradon. 

For starters, it was safe. She could walk down the street without having to worry about someone attacking her from behind. She could sleep at night without doing alternating guard duties with Mal and the boys. She didn’t have to carry a knife with her at all times (though Mal usually still insisted she did, just in case). 

She loved the different colors and materials. Her designs had flourished since leaving the Isle because she had so much more at her disposal. Even the most well-respected royals came to her for ballgowns, suits, and even wedding dresses, while the former inhabitants of the Isle would ask her for leather jackets and t-shirts. Evie absolutely adored creating clothing for all different types of people. 

There was always enough food for everyone. She didn’t have to worry where her next meal was coming from. They didn’t have to steal or hurt anyone to make sure the little ones were fed. 

Hot showers, sweets, sunny days, comfortable beds…the list went on and on. But there was one thing Evie absolutely despised.   
Video games. 

When Evie, Mal, Jay, and Carlos first came to Auradon, the video games had been interesting. It was funny to see Carlos finally acting his age, and Mal and Jay were two of the most competitive people in the world, so they played against each other any chance they could get. Evie had always politely declined their invitations to play, choosing instead to read or design or sew. 

For a while, the video games had faded into the background. They had to worry about grades and Tourney and being accepted into this new place. Then, they started to bring more kids over from the Isle, and responsibility for the new Isle kids kind of fell into their laps.

Now, the video games had expanded beyond just Mal, Jay, and Carlos. Evie wasn’t even sure what the game was, but she knew there was shooting involved and they worked as a team somehow. Uma and Harry had been challenged by Jay one day, and ever since then, they had joined Evie’s closest friends in playing every single day. Gil had been quickly roped into it by his crew, adding even more of a reason for the others to continue playing. 

At first, it didn’t bother Evie. She wore headphones and did her homework while Mal played video games. Then, she would go get in the shower and more often than not, Mal would join her. 

But then, the games started to get more serious. They started making bets on who would win- one day, Jay had to walk around with a picture of Uma drawn on his face. Another time, Harry had to carry Carlos everywhere he went. They even began betting money. 

Video games were consuming their entire lives, and Evie was starting to feel a little neglected. 

She would try to distract herself by sewing or reading, but every time Mal would yell out over her headset, it made Evie a little more angry. She didn’t know the last time she had spent alone time with her girlfriend. It was time she finally gave her some attention. 

“M?” Evie called out from her desk. She looked over at her shoulder towards Mal, who was sitting on the couch with a controller in her hand and her headset on. 

“Behind you, Jay. Watch the sniper!” she shouted out. “Good shot!” 

Evie rolled her eyes. Of course her girlfriend didn’t even hear her. She stood, her bare feet padding softly across the carpeted floor. She came over to stand behind the couch. “Mal?” 

“What’s up, baby?” she asked, her eyes still on the TV screen. 

“Can we…”

“WATCH IT CARLOS!” Mal screamed, jumping to her feet. “Jay, get there and help him! Shut the fuck up, Uma, you’re not winning.” 

Evie sighed loudly. “Mal.” She said a little more insistently. 

“I need to focus, E. We can’t lose this one.” Mal told her, sitting back down. “I see you, Harry, don’t think that you have the upper hand.” 

“Can’t you spend some time with me?” Evie questioned. 

“After this game, baby.” Mal stated, then instantly started yelling into the headset again. 

Evie walked back over to their bed, feeling dejected. She was fed up with Mal ignoring her and choosing to play video games instead of spending time with her. She just needed to do something that would catch her attention. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt Mal’s hands on her body. They had gone from having sex every single day (sometimes multiple times a day) to not at all; Evie knew it had been at least two weeks since the last time. She started to think about her girlfriend’s hands, the way her body tensed up, those plump lips…

Evie glanced over at Mal, seeing that her attention was still completely on the TV. She pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall on the floor. Evie started to gently run her fingertips up and down her toned stomach, feeling goosebumps break out on her skin. She ran her fingers up and down a few more times before reaching her breasts. 

She ran her thumb over her nipple, her body shivering in reaction. She watched as the tiny bud immediately hardened up; her body was obviously noticing Mal’s absence too. She used her index finger to trace around the darkened skin on her breast, but didn’t touch her nipple yet. 

Evie let out a content sigh when she finally delivered a sharp pinch to the tiny bud. She brought her other hand up, cupping one of her breasts in each hand, pulling and tugging on her nipples. She could feel her wetness below soaking through her panties. 

She tilted her head to the side, glancing at Mal again. She still didn’t even have a clue abut what was going on behind her. It made Evie a little excited, touching herself with her girlfriend sitting nearby cluelessly. 

She teased herself for a little longer, then went back to running her fingertips up and down her skin. Right now, she was missing Mal. She wanted Mal’s kisses, her lips on her neck, her tongue on her nipples, her mouth moving down Evie’s body in open mouthed kisses. Evie followed the exact path that Mal would with her fingers, slipping them under the waistband of her shorts. 

Mal always teased her before giving her what she wanted. It made the orgasms so much better, so Evie decided to try it out for herself. She brought her fingers down to her inner thighs, scraping her fingernails over the sensitive flesh. She led out a tiny groan and then froze, waiting to see if Mal would react. 

“I NEED BACKUP, CARLOS!” she was yelling. 

Evie just let her head fall back against the pillows. She closed her eyes, imagining that her hands were Mal’s. Mal always knew exactly where to touch or kiss to get the best reaction out of her. Evie let her right hand continue to scratch against her thigh while her left hand cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between her fingers. 

Evie brought her fingernails up her thigh, scratched against her hips, barely touched the area in the middle, and then drifted down the other thigh. She could feel the heat and wetness that was gathering in her panties. It was making her head foggy as her body begged for something more. 

She lifted her hips, sliding her shorts off of her legs and letting them fall to the floor. Now she was dressed in only a pair of thin panties, and she knew they wouldn’t be staying on for long. 

Evie ghosted her fingers over her folds, the material rubbing up against her heated skin making her gasp. She lightly traced the tip of her finger up and down her slit, her body reacting by releasing even more wetness. Evie continued to tease for a moment before using her finger to move her panties to the side. 

As soon as her finger made contact with her folds, Evie moaned. She was so incredibly wet. She ran her finger up and down her swollen flesh, letting out a breathy moan as she found her clit. Evie pressed down against the little bundle of nerves, causing her legs to fall open. 

She rubbed in slow circles, feeling pleasure shooting through every nerve in her body. She moaned again as she let her finger drift down and circled her opening. 

Evie slowly inserted one finger into her wet heat, her mouth falling open at the sensation. She couldn’t hold back her sigh as she pushed it further and further until it was all the way inside. Evie focused, letting her walls squeeze against the intrusion as she adjusted to the feeling. 

It only took a second because of how wet she was. Evie pulled her finger out, then inserted another with it. She panted at the feeling of both fingers entering her body, her thumb finding her clit and rubbing it in harsh circles. At this rate, she would fall over the edge within the next minute. 

“What the fuck!?” she heard Mal shout, but she couldn’t even open her eyes. She continued to pump her fingers in and out of her body, moaning and groaning without shame. Mal always loved to hear the noises she made as she tore her body apart, and Evie had no problem with being loud for her. “I’m out.” 

A second later, she felt a hand grip her wrist, yanking her fingers out from the depths of her wetness. Evie whined in protest, her eyes flying open. 

“What are you doing?” Mal demanded, her pupils already expanded to the point that Evie could barely see the green in her eyes. 

“I…I needed…” 

“You thought you could come over here and fuck yourself and I wouldn’t notice?” Mal questioned. She brought Evie’s fingers up to her plump lips, sucking them harshly. Evie moaned at the sight, her eyes closing again. 

“Mal…” 

“You were just going to make yourself cum without me?” she brought her hand down, running her nails over Evie’s inner thighs, making her back arch. Mal made her feel so much better than when she did it by herself. 

Evie whimpered. “M, please.” 

“Please what, baby?” Mal leaned down, kissing Evie’s knee. “What do you need?” 

“I need you.” Evie whined, her hips bucking as she tried to get Mal’s hand to shift to where she needed her most. 

Mal practically ripped her panties off. She put her hands on Evie’s thighs, spreading them apart. Evie rotated her hips when she felt the cool air hit her heated flesh. Mal leaned down, pressing light, teasing kisses against her inner thighs and hips. 

“What do you want, Princess? My fingers? My tongue?” 

“I just wanna cum. Please, Mal. It’s been so long.” Evie panted. 

Mal gave her a kiss directly over her clit, making Evie cry out. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?” 

“Stupid…video…games…” Evie’s voice raised towards the end as Mal ran her flat tongue from the bottom to the top, winding it through Evie’s folds. 

“I guess I haven’t been paying enough attention to you, have I, baby?” Mal did it again, making Evie arch up so hard that she had to push her hands down on her hips to keep her down. 

“Just fuck me.” Evie’s eyes opened and she stared into Mal’s. There must have been something in her face that showed her girlfriend just how far gone she was because Mal smiled. 

“Whatever you want, E.” 

Then, Mal leaned down and sucked her clit into her mouth. Evie screamed in pleasure, feeling the coil in her stomach beginning to tighten as Mal tore her body apart. She flicked her tongue back and forth over the bundle of nerves, driving Evie absolutely crazy. 

Her tongue drifted down and started to circle around Evie’s opening. “God, you get so fucking wet. Were you thinking about me this whole time? Is this all for me?” she licked into her, gathering her sweet juices. 

Evie couldn’t keep her eyes open. She just laid there and let Mal lick, suck, and touch wherever she wanted to. She could feel her body getting closer and closer to release. 

“Open your eyes.” Mal commanded. Evie really didn’t think she could. Suddenly, Mal stopped everything she was doing to her body. Evie’s eyes flew open in protest, immediately meeting Mal’s. “Keep your eyes on me.” 

Mal’s lips and chin were soaked in her juices and it made Evie moan. She absolutely loved when Mal ate her out. She devoured her body as if there was nowhere better in the world for her to be. She took her time, finding each and every one of Evie’s sensitive spots. She paid attention to her reactions, taking note of when to back off and when to give her more. 

Evie’s thighs started to tremble and Mal lifted them up, throwing them over her shoulders. It gave a new angle, causing Evie to moan loudly. 

“Yes, baby.” She whimpered, her hand tangling in Mal’s purple locks.

“You ready to cum, Princess?” Mal questioned, then gave another firm lick from bottom to top. Evie nodded her head nonsensically. “Let go for me, baby girl.” She sucked Evie’s clit into her mouth at the same time she slammed two fingers into her entrance. 

Evie saw stars. Her back arched up off the bed as she screamed, moans and curses falling out of her lips as Mal continued her assault. Her thighs tried to close, but Mal’s shoulders kept them spread, allowing her to keep sucking and licking Evie’s clit to prolong her orgasm. Evie whimpered at the feeling of two fingers sliding in and out of her wet heat, followed a moment later by a third. Mal kept going, pushing Evie further and further until she came again. 

This time, she lost awareness for a few minutes. The next thing she remembered was Mal pressing gentle kisses against her inner thighs, then hips, then stomach as she worked her way up Evie’s body. She swirled her tongue around Evie’s nipple, making her sigh. Her mouth found it’s way to Evie’s neck, sucking a mark over top of her pulse point. 

When she finally reached Evie’s lips, she couldn’t help but sigh into the kiss. She could taste herself on Mal’s lips, letting her tongue enter her mouth and swirl around to gather more of the taste. Mal sucked on her bottom lip, gently nibbling her skin. 

They separated so that they could breathe, Mal leaning up so their foreheads could rest against each other. Evie realized that Mal was still fully clothed and laying almost completely on top of her. She smiled at the sensation of the rough material of the clothing rubbing against her smooth, sensitive skin. 

“Hi.” Mal whispered. 

“Hi.” Evie replied, unable to keep the smile off her face. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“So much better now.” 

Mal kissed her lips. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed me? You know there’s nothing more important to me than making sure you’re okay, and keeping you satisfied is part of that, baby.” 

Evie’s eyes drifted away from her girlfriend’s face. “I tried. You were too wrapped up in your game.” 

Realization dawned on Mal. “I really haven’t been giving you enough attention, have I?” Evie shook her head. “I’m going to make that up to you, beautiful. I promise.” 

Evie raised an eyebrow as Mal leaned down and started to kiss her neck. “How?” 

Mal looked up at her, a mischievous gleam in her bright green eyes. “I’m going to eat you out until you beg me to stop.” 

Evie giggled, knowing Mal would stay true to her word. Maybe video games weren’t so bad if they led to this.


	7. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After graduating from Auradon University, Evie and Mal’s careers took off. Evie is a fashion designer, while Mal is an artist. Mal has been on an art tour in Arendelle for the past three months and she finally coming home just in time for Audrey and Ben’s wedding reception. But some things comes up and it looks like the plans are going to change.

Twenty three year old Evie Mills woke up in the best mood she had been in in a long time. She hadn’t gotten much sleep; she was too excited for the impending arrival of her girlfriend. Mal Moors had been on tour for the past three months, and while she would usually go and visit her, this time she had been stuck making designs and was unable to get away. Even though they’ve texted, talked on the phone, and used FaceTime, it wasn’t the same and she couldn’t wait to finally see her in person. 

She knew that she had a lot to do today. It was Audrey and Ben’s wedding reception, and Evie, Jane, and Dizzy were responsible for planning it and making sure it went off without a hitch. And while Evie loved a good party, that wasn’t exactly the first thing on her mind right now. 

She still had to pick a dress (it was between her floor length, midnight blue one, and her knee length red one), go pick up the cake, clean up the house, go to the grocery store to restock the house with Mal’s favorite snacks, and then shower and get ready for the party, which started in approximately nine hours. 

Evie got out of bed and shoved back the curtains, seeing that her girlfriend’s side of the bed was hit by the sunlight. That would be one of the best things about Mal coming home- not having to sleep alone anymore. 

She threw her hair into a messy bun, slid on a pair of dark jeans and a black zip up jacket, and brushed her teeth. She figured that the grocery store and cake should be done first and that she could do it pretty quickly. Evie grabbed her purse and shoved her phone into it before grabbing her keys and heading out the door, locking it behind her. Just as she approached the car, she felt her phone vibrating in her purse. 

Evie dug it out at the same time she unlocked the car door and smiled at the name. “Hey M.” 

“Hi baby.”

“I’m about to go to the grocery store to get all your favorite snacks. Do you want me to get cheese or pepperoni pizzas? Never mind, I’ll just get some of each.” She set her purse in the passenger’s seat and started the car. “I’m trying to decide which dress to wear; it’s between the midnight blue one and the red one…”

“I have to tell you something.” 

Mal’s voice was soft and she knew that she wouldn’t like whatever she had to say. She felt the dread creep into her stomach and stopped what she was doing, keeping the car in park. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Just say it.” 

“I’m so sorry, Evie. My manager just added three more days to the tour, they want to make up for a meet and greet that got cancelled, and they have some big name person who wants me to make something for them.” Tears clouded her vision and she knew that if she spoke, her voice would show her emotion, so she said nothing. “Baby, I’m sorry. You know that I wanted to come home.” 

“I know.” She whispered. “I have to go, Mal. I have a lot to do today.”

“I’ll see you in three days, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too.” Evie hung up the phone and dropped it into her cup holder. She let her forehead rest against the steering wheel for a second and took a couple of deep breaths. 

They had known this was a possibility. Two weeks ago, management told Mal that as of now, she would be home in time for the party, but that could change. It was the whole reason that the party had been set for this date. Mal had gotten close with Ben and Audrey, and they loved her just as much, so it wouldn’t be the same not having her there. 

“I knew it could happen. I have to get over it.” Evie mumbled to herself. “She’ll be home soon.” She put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. 

The grocery store didn’t help with her heartbreak at all. It seemed like there were advertisements for Mal’s favorite foods at the end of every aisle. Evie threw a couple of pizzas into a cart, but put them back because she didn’t want to stare at them for the next three days and be reminded that Mal should be there to eat them. Instead, she just paid for her Ben and Audrey’s cake and left. 

After a completely silent car ride (even her favorite songs couldn’t make her feel better right now), Evie arrived at the house. She set the cake on the counter and looked around. She was a perfectionist and usually really good about keeping the house clean, but late nights at her store and sleeping during the day because of that, plus planning this party had put her behind. Various clothing, shoes, books, and sketches were thrown around the living room, and that wasn’t even the worst. She knew the bathroom sink was littered with makeup and the bedroom was so cluttered that you couldn’t even see the carpet. 

Evie went into her room and sat down on the edge of the bed. She saw Mal’s empty spot again and the emotions all hit her at once. She let her head rest in her hands, but she didn’t cry. She could do that tonight once the party was over and she was lying in bed, alone. 

She figured that she had already planned to clean the house today so she might as well do it since it was starting to irritate her when she tripped over random things just trying to move around. It didn’t take her long (and it didn’t take her mind off of Mal like she hoped it would). 

Her phone vibrated and she lifted it up to see who had texted her.

_From: M  
I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there, but I know that you’ll have fun at the party without me! I love you, Princess._

Evie inhaled shakily and quickly texted back. 

_To: M  
No party is as fun without you. Love you too. _

She glanced at the clock on her phone and saw that time had been passing quicker than she thought. She had six hours until the party and there was still a lot for her to do. 

After showering (where she did cry a little bit, even though she told herself it was just the water), Evie blow dried her hair and studied the two dresses. She knew the blue one was Mal’s favorite and decided that that was the one she would wear tonight. 

Her phone started vibrating loudly and she prayed that it wasn’t her girlfriend. She knew that if she actually spoke to her, she would cry and she wasn’t ready. But luckily, it was just the little girl who was practically a sister to her.

“Hey Diz.”

“Evie, where are you? Are you almost here?”

“What are you talking about? It’s only one and the party doesn’t start until six.”

“Well Jane and I are trying to get everything decorated and it’s not coming out right. Can you come help?” 

Evie sighed. “I’ll be there soon.” 

She quickly pulled on the blue dress and some silver heels to match it. She grabbed all of her makeup and hair supplies and figured she could just get ready in the back room of the reception hall where they were holding the party. She hurried out to the car and it wasn’t until she was ten minutes away that she realized she forgot the cake, so she had to turn around and go back to get it. 

“Finally!” Eighteen year old Dizzy sighed in relief when she saw her come in. “Jane forgot the money to pay the DJ at her house and he should be here any minute and the caterers are running late and…are you really wearing your hair like that?”

“I didn’t have time to get ready since some people can’t handle their responsibilities.” She snapped, throwing the bag containing her makeup and hair stuff onto the ground and setting the cake on a table. 

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Wow.” Dizzy raised her eyebrows. “I thought you would be happier since Mal’s coming home today.”

Evie carefully kept her face blank. “She’s not coming home.”

“What?”

“The tour got extended and it’s going to be another three days.”

“I guess that explains why you’re so cranky.”

“I’m not cranky!” Evie shouted, causing Dizzy’s eyes to widen. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I’m sorry. I just…I miss her so much and I really wanted her to be here tonight and now it’s going to be even longer.”

Dizzy stepped forward and hugged her. “She’ll be here soon, Eves. Besides, now we can cancel one of the trays of food we ordered.” Evie couldn’t help but smile; her girlfriend did eat a lot. “Are the other still coming?”

“As far as I know.” Her closest friends, Carlos, Jay, Uma, and Harry were all expected to come to the party tonight, even though they were all spread out around Auradon. Jay was playing Tourney professionally, Carlos was working on ways to develop Auradon’s technology, and Uma and Harry were setting off on sailing excursions whenever they could. No one would miss Audrey and Ben’s celebration of their marriage. 

Evie spent the next couple of hours hanging up decorations, rolling her eyes as she dug money out of her purse to pay the DJ to cover for Jane, and yelling at the caterer when they showed up an hour and a half late. By the time she was finished, she only had forty five minutes to get her hair and makeup done and some guests were already starting to show up. 

“You need to mingle and keep people occupied.” Evie said to Jane and Dizzy after she pulled them into the backroom. “I need to finish getting ready.”

“We’re on it.” Jane promised, starting to exit the room. 

“And make sure the bar is fully stocked. I’m gonna need a drink.”

She looked surprised, but nodded her head in confirmation. Dizzy followed her out. 

Evie sat down in front of the mirror and studied herself. All the happiness she felt that morning was gone, replaced with annoyance at having to do all of the work to get ready for the party she didn’t even want to be at anymore. 

The door to the room opened and she lifted her head up slowly, thinking it would just be Dizzy. She was surprised at who entered instead. 

“Hey Evie.”

She stood. “Uma.” She hugged the darker skinned girl. “Thank you for coming.” 

“Uh, free food and drinks, plus a DJ? You know I wouldn’t miss it.” She studied her face. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t know if it was because this was Uma or because she was sick of holding in the emotions all day, but Evie finally broke down. As soon as Uma saw the first tear fall, she hugged her friend. 

“Whoa, are you okay?”

“Mal’s not coming home for another three days!” she cried into Uma’s shoulder. “In my head, I know it’s not that long, but I need her here.”

“It’s okay, Eves.” Uma rubbed her back comfortingly. “It sucks that she can’t be here for the party, but like you said, it’s not that much longer. She’ll be here before you know it.” 

Evie counted to ten in her head, letting herself have those couple of extra seconds to cry before she pulled back. She wiped at her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You need help with your hair and makeup?” 

Even though she usually did it by herself, Evie nodded because she didn’t feel like worrying about it right now. She obediently sat down in the chair placed in front of a large mirror nailed to the wall, watching as Uma curled each piece of her hair. 

“Have you spoken to Carlos or Jay? Where’s Harry?” Evie questioned. 

“Harry was talking to Dizzy. Jay and Carlos were flying in together and their plane was supposed to land at five. They should be here any minute.”

“And then you guys are spending the night at a hotel tonight and the next night and all flying out on Monday, right?” 

“Yeah. Weren’t you listening when we talked about this when we Skyped on Thursday?”

“I was multi-tasking.”

Uma gave her a look. “What were you doing that was so important?”

“Texting Mal.” She mumbled. 

Uma pretended to look disgusted. “I don’t even want to know what kind of freaky stuff you guys were talking about.” 

Evie just sighed. “It sucks that you guys will be gone before you get to see her.” 

“It does, but there will be more times.” Uma let another curl fall from her hands. “All done. What do you want me to do with it? Or are you just going to leave it down?”

“I don’t care. I just want to get this party over with so I can sleep.”

“Don’t act like that. The boys and I can spend the night with you tonight if you want. It’ll be like old times from college.”

Evie smiled. “Thanks, Uma.”

“Welcome. Now turn around so I can do your makeup.”

\-----

Carlos and Jay quickly spotted the daughter of the Fairy Godmother in the seat of unfamiliar faces. They recognized some of the biggest royals- Ariel and Eric, Aurora and Phillip, Belle and Beast- but there were still a lot of people who tended to avoid people who used to live on the Isle. They were happy to see someone they actually knew.

“Jane!” Jay gave her a quick hug, Carlos following his lead. “Where’s E?” It had been a while since her, and he couldn’t wait. 

“At the bar.” She gestured across the room. 

Jay rolled his eyes. “She’s so overdramatic.” Him and Carlos made their way through the crowd and over to the bar. Evie was sitting on one of the barstools with a glass of something in her hand that she quickly downed, slamming it onto the bar. 

“Another one!” she called out to the bartender, which was completely unnecessary since there were only two other people at the bar and it wasn’t like he couldn’t have heard her if she had talked in her normal voice. 

“Seriously, Princess?” Jay studied her. Her makeup and hair were flawless and she looked gorgeous in her dress, but her face wasn’t happy. “You need to cheer up!” he grabbed the shot glass out of Evie’s hand before she could drink it and lifted it to his nose. “Is this straight tequila? Should you really be drinking with practically every royal in Auradon here?”

“They’re all focused on Audrey and Ben. They don’t care what I do.” She snatched the shot from Jay’s hand and drank it. “Uma said you guys are having a sleepover with me tonight.” 

“What about Mal? I didn’t think you guys would want us there for your reunion.” Carlos said, taking a seat next to Evie and ordering a Coke. 

“Another one!” Evie shouted again. “Uma didn’t tell you?”

“We haven’t seen her.”

“Mal’s not coming home.”

“Is that what inspired your little drinking binge?” Jay demanded, moving the tequila from her reach once the bartender returned. Evie whined and reached for it, but he moved it even further. “Evie.”

“Why can’t I just have fun? Why can’t you guys have fun with me? Let’s just get drunk and dance and sing and go back to my house and pass out.” 

“As fun as that sounds, it’s kind of embarrassing to make a fool out of ourselves in front of people who buy your designs and watch me play Tourney and fund Carlos’s technology. Oh, and Mal’s dad.” Carlos stated, looking over the blue haired girl’s shoulder. 

Evie’s eyes widened. “Hades is here?” 

“Didn’t you invite him?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think about him coming once I heard Mal wasn’t!” Evie reached over and managed to grab the shot from Jay. She drank it and shrugged. “Oh well.”

“Evie!” Carlos said in surprise. While Hades hadn’t raised Mal, he had been consistent in her life since she was a teenager. Evie had proven the fact that she was good enough for his daughter, but she was still usually more put together than this. 

“What? Why should I care? His daughter didn’t care enough to be here so why should I care to be the angelic little future daughter-in-law?” her head banged against the bar as she raised her hand to signal to the bartender that she wanted another drink. 

“Okay, first of all, how many of those have you had? Second, future daughter-in-law? And third, you know that Mal would be here if she could.” Jay said. 

“Four, shut up, and I know.” Evie sighed. The bartender returned, placing a shot in front of Evie and looking at Jay and Carlos in question. 

“She’s fine.” Carlos reassured him. 

Evie realized she was talking to someone else and raised her head to see who. She saw her shot and downed it. Right as she put it on the bar, Uma came over. 

“You already started?”

“That’s her fifth.” Jay responded. Him and Uma hugged quickly, then Uma and Carlos. 

“Wow, you weren’t playing, Eves.” Uma took the seat on Evie’s other side. Jay was standing in front of Evie so he could face all three of the others. “Now tell us all your inner thoughts.”

“I’m not drunk yet, Uma.” Evie said, rolling her eyes. She could feel some of the edge start to come off and knew that she was a little buzzed. 

“Well you better take a break because Audrey is glaring at us.” Uma’s hand went up in a wave, Carlos and Jay repeating her actions. Audrey just shook her head when Evie stared at her blankly. “Hey, don’t give her any more. The happy couple is going to kill her.” She informed the bartender. 

Evie looked at him too. “I’m the one who is paying you. You know what? You can just give me the entire bottle.” 

“Let’s go sit at a table.” Carlos suggested, hopping off of his barstool. Jay and Uma each grabbed one of Evie’s hands and dragged her behind them. They found a table that wasn’t filled with queens or kings and took her in that direction. 

“Evie! It’s so good to see you, sweetie!”

“Here.” Carlos dug a piece of gum out of his pocket and shoved it into Evie’s mouth, hoping that it would mask the scent of the alcohol. 

“Hi, Snow!” Evie smiled at the older woman. They didn’t know each other very well, but they were always cordial. “I’m glad you could make it tonight.” 

“Oh you know I wouldn’t miss it, dear. Where’s that friend of yours? Maleficent’s daughter?” 

From where they stood behind her, Uma, Carlos, and Jay all saw Evie’s entire body tense. 

“It’s Mal,” she corrected through clenched teeth, “and she’s still on tour in Arendelle.”

“That’s a shame.” 

“A shame that she’s on a tour, or a shame that we’re still together? Because you do know she’s my girlfriend, right?” 

“Evie, help me fix my makeup.” Uma grabbed Evie’s hand and dragged her away from the situation before it could escalate any further. “What are you thinking?”

“What? I’m fed up with random, judgmental people trying to insult me because of my relationship. I don’t know why random people that Mal and I have only met once or twice think that it’s okay to state their opinions on us. I couldn’t care less what they think.” She pulled away from Uma’s grasp and went over to where the food was set up. 

Jay grimaced. “She’s gonna be fun to deal with tonight.” 

“It’s not much longer.” Carlos reminded them. They went to join their friend before she got into any more trouble. 

\-----

Evie hated that she was ruining the party for herself with her bad mood, but right now, all she was concerned about was going home to sleep. She was glad to see that Audrey and Ben seemed to be enjoying their night though since this whole thing was for them. 

She sat at a table with Uma, Jay, Carlos, and Harry, though they were strict about alcohol (which she knew in her head was for the better, but right now, she just wanted to feel happier and she thought drinking could do that). They generously allowed her to have a glass of wine with her meal though (and they didn’t notice that she switched hers with Carlos’s when it got closer to the bottom). 

Evie was just about to excuse herself to go to the bathroom (or to find some unattended alcohol somewhere around this place) when a familiar voice stopped her. 

“Evie! How are you?” 

Of course, it had to be Hades. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and put on a smile before standing to greet him. 

“Good, how are you?” she hugged him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, the demigod returning the gesture. 

“I’m good. Bored out of mine with all the diplomatic conversations, but at least the food is good. You set all this up?” she nodded. “You did good, kid.”

“Thank you. It was difficult to plan but it’s going well.” She agreed. 

“It would have been much better if my kid was here to cause some trouble, but it seems like you’re doing enough of that on your own.” He eyed her knowingly. Evie looked down at her feet in embarrassment. “Hang in there, okay? It’s not that much longer.”

Evie forced a smile. “Only three days. We can handle it.” She didn’t quite believe the words, but she didn’t really have a choice. 

“Evie!” before she could say anything else to Hades, Dizzy and Celia ran up to her. It had been a few weeks since she saw Celia and she actually mustered up a real smile for the younger girl. 

“Hi Celia!” she pulled the younger VK into her arms. “How are you?”

“I’m good, I missed you guys!” she separated from Evie, giving hugs to Jay, Carlos, Uma, and Harry. Dizzy hadn’t seen Jay or Carlos yet, so she gave them hugs too.

“Are you guys having fun?” Evie asked. 

“Mmhmm. Dizzy promised she would do a dance with me if a good song comes on.” Celia leaned in closer to her. “I may have bribed the DJ to get my way.” said mischievously. 

Evie smiled. “I know you guys will be the best dancers out there.” 

“When Mal comes back, can we have a sleepover? Like we used to when you guys still lived close by?”

“Of course.” Evie reassured her. She wondered if Celia and Dizzy were feeling a little abandoned by them. Both of their families still lived on the Isle, so their main family was the VKs who had been brought over to Auradon. After graduating from college, the older kids had left, assuming that everyone else would be okay. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been there. I’ve been really busy with work and making designs.”

“I know. I’ve seen your dresses everywhere! Dizzy and I were looking at magazines and I swear on every page, there was something you had made. You’re the biggest designer out there right now.” 

Evie hugged her again. “Thank you for saying that.” 

The music changed and suddenly, Celia’s face brightened up. “Dizzy, it’s dance time!” she grabbed her best friend’s arm and pulled her towards the dance floor. “See you later, Evie!” 

“Bye!” Evie smiled until they walked away. She sunk back into her chair and saw her friends looking at her in shock. “What?”

“You couldn’t have a filter around your ex-stepsister, but you can act like you didn’t have five shots and two glasses of wine, and yes we saw you take Carlos’s, in front of Hades and the kids?” Harry asked. 

Evie rolled her eyes. “That’s different. I don’t care about Snow White and her judgmental opinions. I love Hades and Dizzy and Celia and I want them to have respect for me.” 

“Drinking probably isn’t the best way to do that.” Uma whispered loudly to Evie, knowing the other girls could hear her easily. 

The blue haired girl sighed. “Yeah, I know.” 

“I’m gonna go get some more food.” Jay stood up, grabbing his plate and heading in the direction of the food. 

“I’ll go with you.” Harry jumped up to join.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” Uma said. 

“I’m going to go say hi to Gil.” Carlos got up too, leaving Evie all alone with empty wine glasses and her thoughts. 

She let her chin rest in her right hand as she pouted, seeing all of the happy people dancing and laughing around the room. That would be her if her girlfriend wasn’t an extremely successful artist. 

But then Mal wouldn’t be Mal. Their passions for art and fashion is what kept them full of hope on the Isle, and exploring their dreams had brought them even closer together. Even if it kept them apart sometimes, Evie and Mal were one hundred percent supportive of each other’s careers. 

Evie watched as Jane went over to the DJ stand. She glared at her form, still angry she had to pay for said DJ (even though she knew that she was just placing her frustration with the entire situation on her). Jane grabbed the microphone. 

“Hey everyone, sorry for interrupting. Thank you all for coming tonight, Evie, Dizzy, and I really appreciate it and Audrey and Ben seem to be enjoying themselves with your company. Right now, they would like to ask that all the couples join them on the dance floor.” 

The song chanced to a slower paced one and Evie felt her head sink even further into her hand, if that was possible. Mal couldn’t dance to save her life, but she knew that she would have been the first one out on that dance floor because she knew how much Evie loved dancing. 

“Would you like to dance?”

Evie was ready to tell off the person who dared to ask her to dance, but she looked up. Her mouth fell open in shock at the girl standing in front of her. 

“Mal?” 

The purple haired girl laughed. “Surprise!” before she could react, Evie jumped up and threw herself at her. Mal barely managed to keep her balance as she wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend. 

“I hate you.” Evie cried into her neck, sniffling. 

Mal laughed. “I love you too, baby.” 

“Why would you ever think this was okay to do to me?” she lifted her head slightly. “I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re here.” She pressed their lips together. 

“Everyone, let’s say hi to Mal, the girlfriend of my friend Evie, who you may have seen moping around all night. Mal is fresh off a plane from Arendelle where she was just on a three month art tour!” Audrey said into the microphone, earning applause from everyone around them. Evie pulled back and saw the smiles on all of their faces.

“Did everyone know?”

“Hades, Jane, Diz, Audrey, Uma, Harry, Jay, and Carlos.” Mal replied. “Let’s dance, Princess.” She grabbed her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. 

They maneuvered around other couples to find a spot. Mal put her arms around Evie’s waist and Evie rested her head on Mal’s shoulder, playing with her necklace. 

“Have you been drinking?” Mal asked, kissing her forehead. She was so happy to be back and have her girl in her arms again. 

“Um, a little.”

“Evie…”

“Okay, so I had some shots and some wine. I had to numb the pain somehow.” 

Mal felt guilty immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? It’s not your fault that the DJ was giving me a headache.” Evie joked. Mal rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. 

Evie just cuddled closer to her, her mood lifting almost instantly at being in Mal’s arms. She couldn’t believe that they had all tricked her. 

The song ended too quickly and the girls returned to the table that Uma, Carlos, Harry, and Jay had gone back to. They all had huge smiles on their faces. 

“It was your job to keep her busy and you let her drown herself with alcohol?” Mal said, hugging each of them in greeting. As soon as she moved back, she wrapped an arm around Evie, keeping her close. She wouldn’t be letting her go any time soon. 

“We didn’t let her do anything.” Jay argued, gesturing to himself, Harry, and Carlos. “But Uma did let her start drinking.”

“I had to pee!” Uma defended. “You and Carlos sat there while she slammed back five shots of tequila!” 

“Four. We weren’t there for the first one, which you were supposed to keep her from drinking!” 

“It doesn’t matter now, guys.” Carlos interrupted in annoyance. 

“Yeah, Mal’s home and everything is good again.” Harry said with a smile. He turned to the couple, but saw that they were staring at each other, completely blocking out the conversation around them. “And they’re starting already.” 

“It’s been three months since I’ve looked at her, Harry. Can’t you just give me a minute?” Mal asked. 

“You guys are so cute it’s sickening.” Uma commented. 

Ben and Audrey came over to the group. “It’s good to see you, Mal.” The purple haired girl pulled away from her girlfriend to hug Audrey. “We’ve missed you.”

“I missed you guys too.” Mal hugged Ben. “How’s the party been? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, it’s been great, except the boring conversations about trade and taxes.” Audrey said.

“And watching Evie drink herself to death.” Ben looked pointedly at Evie, who suddenly seemed extremely interested in the ends of her hair. 

Audrey smiled at her friend’s reaction. “Hopefully now she’ll be in a better mood.” 

“Mal, you should have seen her. She was miserable!” Uma told her. “I was ready to stop this whole surprise and call you when she started crying while I was helping her get ready!” 

Mal frowned as she looked at her girlfriend. “E?” 

Evie smiled brightly at her. “I’m good now.” 

The slightly shorter girl hugged her. “I really am sorry. I didn’t think it would have that big of an effect on you.”

“M, I haven’t seen you in three months and I specifically planned Audrey and Ben’s reception so that you could come, and then you call the day of and tell me that it’s gonna be three more days before I see you. Of course I was upset.” 

Mal kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. It’s over now.” Evie kissed her lips. “Love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Ugh, and they’re back to being sickeningly cute again.” Uma groaned. 

“Go away.” Evie said, resting her forehead against Mal’s and closing her eyes. “And if it wasn’t already implied, the sleepover is cancelled.”

“Rude!” Uma huffed. Ben and Audrey went to mingle with more guests while the others went to request some songs. 

Mal and Evie sat down, their hands linked as they scooted their chairs closer to each other. They turned them so they could see the dance floor where all of the various people of Auradon were dancing and laughing. They even saw Celia and Dizzy dancing together, making them both smile. 

“You’re wearing your blue dress.” Mal commented. 

“Mmhmm.”

“You know it’s my favorite.”

“Mmhmm. I wanted to feel closer to you since you couldn’t be here.” Evie rested her head on Mal’s shoulder. 

“Tired?”

“Yeah. I was so excited that I hardly slept last night.” She yawned. “What time is it?” 

“A little after ten.”

“Wow, I sound like an old lady.” 

“It’s okay, you’re my old lady.”

Evie wrinkled her nose. “Don’t ever say that again.”

Mal laughed and then kissed her nose. “Do you wanna go?”

“Can we?”

“Let’s say goodbye to our friends.” Mal stood, grabbing Evie’s hand and pulling her up too. She couldn’t help but smile when Evie immediately hugged her. “What’s this for?”

“I’m just really glad you’re back, M.”

She kissed her. “Me too, E.”


	8. Outside Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay, Carlos, and Uma give their opinions on Evie and Mal's relationship. Takes place the day after Coming Home.

“Good morning!” Carlos greeted as him, Uma, and Jay walked into their other two best friends’ room. After they left Ben and Audrey’s wedding reception the night before, they had let them have their time alone. But they were flying out tomorrow, so they wanted to spend some time with them. Unfortunately, Harry drank too much at the hotel after the party last night, so he had stayed home, but the others wanted to see the girls before they left.

“Awww!” Jay gushed as they all stopped.

Evie and Mal were tangled up with each other, the blanket thrown over both of their bodies. Evie’s face was pressed into Mal’s neck as they slept. 

“I need a picture of this.” Uma said, going over to the bed and leaning down so that Evie and Mal would be in her picture. She made a duck face and snapped a picture. 

Carlos smiled and joined her, getting on the bed on the other side and leaning his head close to the girls. Jay rolled his eyes but came over too. Uma turned so that she could get all of them in the picture and started to take them as they all made different faces. 

“This isn’t creepy or anything.” Mal mumbled, her eyes still closed. 

“We just wanna have pictures with the two most beautiful people in the world.” Jay told her with a charming smile. 

Mal laughed. “Well in that case…” she sat up and started to pose with them, even though she had major bedhead. 

“Mal.” Evie groaned when she felt her girlfriend change positions. She leaned closer to her, trying to find the warmth she had been in before. Evie was not a morning person, and the others were pretty sure she was probably feeling a little hungover. 

Uma watched them with a small smile, secretly loving their relationship. No matter what other people said about them, she would always be their number one supporter (after Jay and Carlos, of course). She didn’t care that they were both girls; they loved each other and they were adorable. 

“Smile for a picture, Princess!” Jay teased. 

“No.” Evie mumbled. 

“Come on, Evie!” Carlos smoothed down her wild hair. “We need you in our picture.” 

“I don’t care.” Evie scooted closer to Mal, lifting her head up and putting it in her lap, but turning so her face was away from the camera. 

Uma laughed and leaned closer, moving the camera to the other side so that Evie’s face was in it. 

“Stop!” Evie groaned. 

Mal stroked a hand through Evie’s hair. “They’re not going to leave you alone until you get in a picture.” 

“Quit ganging up on me.” She sat up and moved away from Mal. “I just wanna cuddle.” 

“I’ll cuddle with you, Eves.” Carlos offered. He laid next to Evie and the older girl immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer. 

“Don’t try and steal my girl, DeVil.” Mal threatened playfully. 

“It looks like your girl likes me better than you.” Carlos joked back. 

“She likes me better than both of you!” Jay stated, crawling across Mal and laying down completely on top of Evie and Carlos. He heard a groan and a giggle from underneath him. 

“Hey, make some room!” Uma threw herself on top of the others, leaving Mal by herself on the other side of the bed. 

“How is this fair? I come back from a long, hard art tour and you all would rather cuddle with her than with me?” she scoffed, holding her hand to her chest in fake hurt. 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Uma responded. “Evie’s the best cuddler.” 

“Yeah, I know.” She pouted.

“Awww, are you jealous, Mal?” Jay reached out and pinched her cheek. Mal slapped his hand away. “Do you want me to come cuddle with you?” 

“No, I want her.” She pointed to where she could barely see Evie’s blue hair sticking out from under Jay and Uma. 

“You had your chance, M.” Evie’s muffled voice said.

“Oh really?” Mal shoved Uma as hard as she could, knocking the pirate off of the bed. She knew she had to move quick or Uma would retaliate and she definitely wasn’t prepared for a fight right now. She pinched Jay, making him yell and move, and then she wrapped her arms around Evie’s waist and yanked her back. 

“Owww!” Carlos cried as Evie tightened her grip on his neck, pulling his hair in the process. 

Mal ran her fingers up and down Evie’s sides, tickling her and making her release Carlos. 

“You only get to cuddle with me!” Mal told her girlfriend, forcing her onto her back and sitting on top of her so she couldn’t move. She continued her tickling, smiling at the shrieks coming from Evie. 

Uma sat on the floor, Carlos was still on the other side of the bed, and Jay moved so that he was standing next to Uma. Even though they had all been assaulted in order for Mal to cuddle with Evie, they had smiles on their faces as they heard the snort laughs coming from Evie.

“M, stop!” Evie cried, trying to move her hands but she was unsuccessful. “I’m gonna pee!” 

“You promise not to ever cheat on me again?”

“ _Cheat_ on you?”

“Mmhmm. Admit that I’m a better cuddler than Carlos, Uma, or Jay.”

“I don’t know, Uma’s pretty good.” Evie stated. Mal tickled her again and she desperately wrapped her fingers around Mal’s wrists to try and get her to stop. “Okay, okay! You’re the best cuddler!” 

“And say that I’m the prettiest.” She tickled her mercilessly. 

“You’re the prettiest!” 

“Tell me I’m the boss in our relationship.” 

“No!” Evie cried out, even though she was literally about to pee all over herself. 

“Say it, Evie.”

“You’re cleaning up the bed when I pee everywhere!” she threatened, but it wasn’t very scary because of the laughter that interrupted her. “M, stop! It hurts!” 

“Then you better say it!” 

“I’m the boss.” Evie told her. 

“Are you? Who is the one begging not to be tickled right now? I think I’m the boss.” 

Uma pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the two of them. She smiled at the looks on both of their faces- Mal was staring down at Evie and it was clear how much she loved her, while Evie was laughing. 

“Help me!” Evie cried out to the others. She reached her arm out and grabbed Carlos, trying to pull him towards her. 

“I would, but Mal almost killed me trying to get to you so I think she’s pretty determined.” Uma said. 

Tears started to roll down Evie’s cheeks from her laughter. “Mal, stop. It’s seriously starting to hurt!” she told her. 

“Say I’m the boss.” 

“I’m not gonna lie.” 

“Evie…” Mal pressed down harder where she was sitting on her stomach. Evie’s eyes shot open as she pressed down painfully on her bladder. 

“Owww.” Evie gasped, her laughter stopping as she brought her hands up to cover her face. 

Mal stopped her tickling as the other three watched in alert. She gently grabbed Evie’s wrists and pulled them away from her face. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. Are you okay? What happened?” 

Before Mal could even process what was happening, Evie had grabbed her arms and flipped them over so that she was on top. She smirked down at the shorter girl and rested their foreheads against each other. 

“Don’t you ever forget that I’m the boss.” She got off of Mal and went into the bathroom. 

Mal’s mouth fell open in shock as she turned to her friends. They all laughed as Uma snapped a picture at the perfect time. 

“What just happened?” she questioned. 

“You’re whipped.” Uma informed her. 

“I am not!” 

“As soon as you thought something was wrong with Evie, you stopped. She really is the boss in the relationship.” 

Mal pouted while they all kept laughing. 

\-----

Uma sat on Evie and Mal’s couch with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs in her hands. She could clearly see the girls from where she was standing and couldn’t help but study them. 

Mal was sitting on the counter. Evie was standing between her legs and their faces were only a couple inches away from each other as they spoke quietly. Uma couldn’t see Mal’s face, but she could see Evie’s and the happiness in her eyes. 

While Mal was gone, Uma and Evie had Skyped and talked on the phone a lot. The blue haired girl got lonely really easily and even though she was constantly at her store or in meetings, it wasn’t the same as talking to people who actually knew and loved her. Evie had admitted that she didn’t really feel comfortable talking about Mal with anyone but Jay and Carlos because they had seen the closeness between them, but she was glad that now she could trust Uma too. 

Uma was quick to answer whenever she saw Evie’s name pop up on her phone. Evie sometimes had a tendency to become withdrawn and stay to herself and she didn’t want that to happen, so she would talk to her whenever she called, even if it was three in the morning and she was exhausted. 

When they were on the Isle of the Lost, Uma had always had a love-hate relationship with Mal. They were all friends when they were younger, but as they grew up and the rivalry between Maleficent and Ursula grew, they were forced to be on opposite sides. They eventually started to work together to help all the kids on the Isle get food and stay safe, but they didn’t become close friends until they all moved to Auradon. 

When Mal graduated and went away on her first big art tour, she had asked Uma to try and stay in contact with her girlfriend. She said that she was going to too, but she didn’t want Evie to feel alone. Uma agreed quickly and two years later, she was still honoring her promise.

She glanced back up at the girls and couldn’t help the smile on her face. Evie brushed a piece of hair behind Mal’s ear and then kissed her forehead gently. Mal pushed all of Evie’s hair behind her shoulders and kissed her cheek, then rubbed their noses together. 

“I missed you so much.” She could see Evie say. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Mal shoulder. 

“Let’s go sit down.” She heard Mal mumble. Evie moved back and the other girl jumped down from the counter. She grabbed Evie’s hand and pulled her over to the couch. She sat down and put her hands on Evie’s hips so she could pull her onto her lap. Evie complied and cuddled close to her, letting her head rest against her shoulder. 

Uma’s eyes met Mal’s and her friend gave her a small smile. Uma had stayed in touch with Mal during her tour too and she knew how much she had missed Evie. She couldn’t believe that they had actually spent three months away from each other. On the Isle, the two of them were the only happiness either of them had. They were best friends, soulmates even before their relationship was romantic, and it was obvious how much they needed to be with each other. 

“Where are Carlos and Jay?” Evie wondered. 

“Harry called Carlos with some question about room service, and Jay’s in the shower.” 

Evie raised an eyebrow. “Does his hotel room not have a shower?” 

“You know how he is.” Uma rolled her eyes. “This morning he wouldn’t stop talking about how he couldn’t wait to use your expensive shampoos.” 

“Let’s do something.” Mal smiled deviously and Uma was glad that she wasn’t Jay. She tapped Evie’s arm, silently asking her to get up, and then went into the kitchen. She started pulling out random stuff from the refrigerator. 

“Uh, M? What are you doing?” Evie asked as she and Uma joined the smaller girl. 

“Hey Uma, remember when you guys thought it would be funny to dump stuff on me in the shower?” 

Uma couldn’t help but smile as she remembered dumping a bucket from the Slop Shop on top of Mal’s head when they were still rivals. She shook her head. “He’s gonna flip out.”

“Don’t care.” Mal grabbed a big bowl and started to mix things in. “You gonna help or not?”

Evie grimaced and pulled herself up to sit on the counter. “I’m not getting involved in that, but I’ll watch.” 

“What about strawberries?” Uma suggested, coming over to help Mal. 

Mal’s eyes widened and she snatched them from Uma’s hands. “Don’t you dare touch those!” 

Evie laughed loudly. “Wow, I hope no one ever robs our house. You’ll protect your strawberries before me.” 

“Well you’re the boss in this relationship so shouldn’t you be the one protecting me?” Mal shot back with a smile. 

“Please. You would throw yourself in front of a train for Evie. All she’s gotta do is bat her eyelashes and you’ll do anything she says.” Uma said. 

“It’s okay, babe. I would do the same for you.” Evie told her girlfriend. She kissed her sweetly. 

“See, this is why when we were all at Auradon Prep, everyone pulled their pranks on you guys! You spend too much time kissing and you miss the opportunities! Now come on!” Uma led the way down the hall to the bathroom, Mal gripping the bowl filled with ranch dressing, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, pickles, turkey, ripped up hamburger buns, and cereal. Uma knew she could have thought of a better combination, but this was Mal’s prank so she just let her do what she wanted. 

Mal passed the bowl to Evie and opened the door slowly. They heard Jay singing in the shower and had to hold in their laughs. Mal grabbed the bowl and tried to tilt it over the top of the shower, but she wasn’t tall enough and she just hit the rod that held the shower curtain. She dropped the bowl the wrong way and ended up spilling it all over herself while also knocking down the shower curtain. 

Uma was recording the whole thing and practically crying from her laughter as Mal made a disgusted face. 

“That’s the second reason why our pranks were on you. For someone who was so good at terrorizing on the Isle, you suck at pranking!” 

Evie was laughing too, until Mal grabbed a huge chunk of her combination and rubbed it down her girlfriend’s cheek. Evie’s expression changed from laughter to serious in 0.2 seconds. 

“Gimme a hug, Princess.” Mal spread her arms out. 

“Get away from me.”

“I have to hug you. I would hug Jay, but he’s naked. And Uma might punch me in the throat.”

“Oh, and I won’t?”

“You could, but you won’t.” Mal put both of her hands on Evie’s cheeks and pulled her closer, pressing their lips together. 

“That tastes disgusting!” Evie groaned, moving away from her. She had the chunky combination of foods all over her face now.

Uma handed her phone to Jay, who was covering his body with the shower curtain. Before he could protest, Uma ripped the shower curtain from his hands and wrapped it around Mal’s body. She lifted her into the shower and laid her on the floor. She couldn’t unwrap herself and she just pouted helplessly as Uma started the water. Evie handed Jay a towel and the three of them laughed at Mal’s struggle. 

“Help me, E!” She cried out. 

“I would have, but now I’ve got to go wash my face.” She went over to the sink and started to try and get the substance off of her. 

“I’m drowning!” Mal yelled from the shower floor. “Get me out of here!” 

Carlos walked into the bathroom with a weird expression on his face. “What are you guys doing?”

“Mal just tried to play a prank and it obviously didn’t work.” Jay informed him. 

“Typical Mal.” Uma added, shaking her head. 

“Carlos, thank God that you’re here! They’re trying to kill me! I’m drowning!” Mal yelled. 

“You wouldn’t be able to talk if you were drowning, M.” Evie threw in. 

“I’m going back to Arendelle. You’re all so mean to me.”

“Hey, you tried to do it to me first!” Jay reminded her. 

“I’ll help you so you can stop whining.” Evie rolled her eyes and went over to the shower. She reached down to grab Mal, but the purple haired girl had gotten an arm free already. She pulled Evie into the shower and wiped more of the stuff all over her face. 

“You seriously didn’t see that coming, Eves?” Uma cackled. Jay still had Uma’s phone and he was recording the whole thing. Evie gave her a death glare and she stopped laughing. 

Evie stood up, nearly slipping from all the water that had piled up from the shower curtain blocking the drain. She detached the shower head and put it directly in Mal’s face. Mal started to cough and spit out water while Evie just laughed. 

“Can one of you get this shower curtain off of her?” Carlos stepped forward and did as she asked. Evie started to spray Mal off. “I think you should retire from pranking, Mal.” 

“It would probably be for the best.” She agreed, making the others laugh. 

\-----

Later that afternoon, they all decided to go to an ice cream shop. It wasn’t far so they walked there (which earned a lot of complaints from Uma and Mal). 

Mal and Evie led the way while Jay, Carlos, and Uma walked behind them. Jay watched as Evie reached out and grabbed Mal’s hand. The taller girl gave her a big smile and Mal pulled her closer. 

He could remember a time when Evie had been terrified to even admit that anything was going on between her and Mal. She was so scared of what everyone else, especially her mother, would think that she refused to follow her heart. Jay could still remember the day he found out about them.

_Flashback: Nine Years Ago_

_It was delivery day on the Isle, which was always the busiest day in the market. People from all different crews would gather to go collect whatever useful items they could.  
Evie and Carlos were planning on searching for tech and materials, while Jay and Mal would be scouting out valuables and food. But when the time came to leave the hideout, one member of their crew was missing. _

_“Where’s Evie?” Jay questioned as he joined Carlos and Mal at the bottom of the stairs._

_“She says she’s not coming. She doesn’t feel well.” Carlos informed him._

_Jay looked up and his eyes met Mal’s briefly. Their leader suddenly turned her head to stare at her feet._

_“I’ll stay with her. You guys go ahead.” Jay said._

_“You sure?” Carlos asked._

_“Yeah, my shoulder’s still acting up from the last delivery day fight I got into, so it’s probably best I don’t go. You guys are quicker anyway.”_

_“Alright, we’ll see you later, I guess.” Carlos turned and walked out._

_Mal stepped closer to him and as soon as she looked at Jay, he knew his suspicions were confirmed. “Thank you.” The words were so rare to hear on the Isle, but somehow, he wasn’t surprised that Mal would use them when Evie was involved._

_Jay just watched them leave, not saying anything to acknowledge Mal. He walked onto the bus and went towards the bedroom that the four of them shared. He peeled back the curtain, but it was empty. He was confused until he heard crying._

_He went over to the tiny bathroom that Carlos had managed to get running and opened the door. Evie was sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in them._

_“Evie?” Jay called out quietly so he didn’t scare her._

_Evie lifted her head quickly and wiped at her eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you guys were going out.”_

_“What’s wrong?” he sat on the floor next to her._

_“Nothing, I’m fine.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t come out nearly as confident as Jay knew she was hoping it would._

_“You can talk to me you know.”_

_Evie rested her head on Jay’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t even lie to myself and say that it’s not true.” Jay stayed silent, knowing that she would explain when she was ready. “This whole situation is just so hard and I don’t know how to deal with it.”_

_“You’ll figure it out.” He promised._

_“I love her.” She whispered. “It’s the first time I’ve said that out loud and it feels so good, Jay.”_

_“Then why do you care? If you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”_

_“But it’s not. I love a girl. I’m supposed to love a boy and get married to a prince and have little royal heirs and a castle of my own with a mother-in-law wing because that’s what my mother has told me for as long as I can remember.” She bit her lip. “She’s going to kill me.”_

_“Evie, you can’t let other people dictate your happiness. If you love Mal, then you need to accept that.”_

_Her eyes widened. “I didn’t ever say it was Mal.”_

_“Seriously? It’s obvious how much the two of you like each other. I think she probably is in love with you too. You just need to go for it. I don’t think of you any differently, and I know that Carlos will be the same way. Just let yourself be happy.”_

_“Thank you.” Evie hugged him, trying to settle her tears. Once she was done crying, Jay ran his thumbs under Evie’s eyes to get rid of the mascara that had run. “I’m gonna go take a nap.”_

_When Mal returned three hours later, she pulled Jay into the bathroom. “Is she okay?”_

_“I don’t know, but she’s struggling.”_

_Mal ran a hand through her hair. “Did she say she was going to end things between us?”_

_“What do you mean end things between you guys? Are you together?” Mal looked like a deer caught in headlights. Jay cracked a smile and rolled his eyes. “Seriously, you guys aren’t as sneaky as you think.”_

_“Jay, please just tell me what she said.”_

_“She’s scared, but she loves you, Mal. You need to help her with this because you know that even though she tries to come off as someone who is strong and confident who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, she’s extremely sensitive to other people’s opinions.”_

_“Thank you.” Mal nodded towards him and then walked past him and into the bedroom. Jay was confused, but he followed after her, standing in the doorway so he could watch what happened._

_“E.” Mal whispered, pulling back the curtain. From where he stood, Jay could see that Evie was asleep. Mal was kneeling in front of the makeshift bed and she reached out and touched her cheek. “Evie, wake up.”_

_Evie’s eyes opened slowly and a smile spread across her face. “Hi.”_

_“Hi.” Mal smiled back._

_“Are we alone?”_

_Mal looked around and she made eye contact with Jay before looking back at the other girl. “Yeah. I need to tell you something.”_

_“What?” Evie’s facial expression showed her fear and Jay held his breath, praying that Mal did this the right way._

_“I love you.”_

_The smile on Evie’s face was contagious as she reached out and linked her fingers with Mal’s. “I love you too.”_

_“We’re gonna make this work, okay? I don’t care what anyone else thinks because all I need is you. We might be young and love might be weakness, but I know that I want to be with you, and I will make sure no one stands in our way. I love you.” She pressed her lips to Evie’s._

_It was the first time that Jay had ever seen them kiss and he couldn’t help the happiness that spread throughout him. He wasn’t sure if he would actually judge them for being together, even if he told Evie that he wouldn’t, but watching them kiss wasn’t weird. He was just happy for them._

_That was the moment he realized that he would do anything to keep those smiles on Evie and Mal’s faces._

“Earth to Jay!” Jay blinked, suddenly seeing a dark hand in front of his face. “What have you been so deep in thought about?” Uma wondered. 

“Them.” He gestured towards the couple walking ahead of them. Evie was standing behind Mal and she jumped up on her back, wrapping her legs around her waist and her arms around her neck. They both laughed as Evie leaned her head forward and connected their lips. 

“They’re so adorable that it makes me sick.” Uma complained. 

“Shut up, Uma. We all know you love their relationship.” Carlos teased.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” She smiled proudly. 

Mal nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, making both of the girls laugh as Evie got off of her back. “Will you guys hurry up?” she called out, grabbing Evie’s hand again. 

They realized they were in front of the ice cream parlor and Evie and Mal waited for them outside of it. When they got to them, Mal had her forehead pressed against Evie’s and she kissed her. 

“Alright fuckers, let’s keep it moving. There are children around.” Uma pushed them both into the small shop. 

The five of them quickly ordered what they wanted and then piled into a booth, Mal and Evie on one side and Uma, Carlos, and Jay on the other. 

“Can I try yours?” Mal asked Evie. 

Jay knew that one of Evie’s biggest pet peeves was sharing her food with other people, so he was surprised when she just silently held out her ice cream cone to Mal. 

“I think yours is better than mine.” She pouted. “Can we trade?”

“No.”

“But Evie…”

“No, M. I told you that you wouldn’t like pistachio ice cream.”

“But I liked the green.” Mal mumbled. 

“Sorry.” She shrugged. 

Mal leaned forward and licked Evie’s ice cream cone again. She glared at her and turned her body so that she couldn’t reach it anymore. Mal tried to grab it from her but she ended up just smashing it into Evie’s cheek and covering it with ice cream. 

Jay watched as Evie glared at her. Before she could even grab a napkin, Mal leaned forward and licked Evie’s cheek. 

“It tastes even better like that.” She informed her with a smirk. 

“Oh my God!” Jay groaned. “Get a fucking room.” 

Both of the girls just laughed, Evie going back to trying to keep her ice cream away from Mal, and Mal pouting as she licked her pistachio ice cream. 

“I swear you two can’t even be taken out in public.” Uma shook her head as she spoke. 

“Don’t be jealous, Uma. I’ll lick your face too if you want.”

“Uh, no you won’t.” Evie told her. 

“Now look who’s jealous.” Uma taunted. 

“I think I’m going to buy all of you plane tickets to go home tonight instead of tomorrow.” Evie said thoughtfully. 

“I didn’t do anything!” Carlos protested. 

“You can stay, C. But you two need to go.” She pointed at Uma and Jay. She turned her head to look at Mal. “I’m debating on if you get to stay or not.”

“But my home is wherever you are.”

“That is so cheesy!” Jay laughed, the others quickly joining in. 

“Cheesy, but true.” Mal smiled and kissed Evie’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I don’t know if it’s possible for this to get any more sickening.” Uma commented. 

Before anyone responded, Evie rolled her eyes and handed her ice cream cone to Mal. “Now you can stop staring at me.”

“But I love staring at you. You’re gorgeous.” 

“Stop.” 

“I can’t believe you’re actually sharing your food.” Jay commented. “You hate sharing food.”

“She hates sharing food with _you_.” Mal corrected. “She loves sharing with me cause I give her kisses and cuddles.” 

“No, I gave you mine so you would stop staring at me.” Evie corrected. “Now hurry up and eat. I’m ready to go.” 

“You can have my pistachio if you want.” Mal offered, holding out her ice cream cone. 

“Wow, thanks.” Evie took the ice cream cone from her hand and smashed it into her cheek. She laughed at the shocked expression on Mal’s face. 

“You’re not gonna lick it off?”

Evie shrugged. “I hate pistachio.”

“You’re so mean to me.” Mal grabbed napkins to wipe off her face as the others laughed. 

Jay watched them with a smile. He would never, ever regret getting Evie and Mal to admit their love for each other. 

\-----

Evie and Mal offered to let Carlos, Jay, Uma, and Harry spend the night with them, so after they finished at the ice cream shop, they went and picked up Harry and all of their stuff from the hotel. 

That night, the six of them all sat in the living room together. Uma and Harry were on the couch, Jay and Carlos sat on the loveseat, and Mal and Evie were on the recliner. 

Carlos turned his head slightly to watch Evie and Mal. The chair was leaned back and the footrest part was out. The girls were lying on their sides and sharing a purple blanket with dragons all over it (which was obviously Mal’s). He was the closest to them, so he could faintly hear their voices. 

“I missed this.” Evie whispered. “Being able to lay with you and cuddle and not having to look at you through a phone screen.” 

Mal smiled. “I missed you so much more.”

“I don’t know how. You were busy with traveling and meetings and making artwork constantly.”

“You were designing.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t take all day.”

“Neither does all the stuff I was doing. It always ended with lying in an uncomfortable hotel room by myself and going through my pictures on my phone so I could look at you.”

Evie rolled her eyes. “You did not do that.”

“I did.” Mal held up her phone in front of Evie’s face and took a picture just as she started smiling. She looked at it. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as perfect as you.”

“Yeah, I don’t know either.” Mal’s mouth fell open in shock. “I’m just kidding. I love you.” She kissed her nose quickly. “I’m so happy you’re home.” 

“Apparently I can’t leave anymore or you’ll drink yourself to death.” 

“They are so overdramatic. I didn’t even drink that much.” 

“Sure. You just had to have something to numb the pain left by my absence.” Mal said in a dramatized voice. 

Evie giggled. “I hate you.” 

“Well I love you.” She leaned forward and kissed her, taking a picture right as she did it. Mal pulled back and grabbed Evie’s arms, forcing her to lie on top of her. 

“Why do you always have to make me lay on you?”

“Because I’m cold, and I know that you’re not comfortable unless we’re touching as much as possible.” She shook her head. “This is the life I live for choosing to be with the most cuddly person in existence.”

“I am not.”

“Really?” Mal started to move away, but Evie sighed and hugged her close. 

“Stop being mean to me.”

“I’m just proving my point, baby.” 

Carlos turned his attention back to the movie, hearing the occasional laugh from behind him. Every time, it made him smile. Evie and Mal had gone through a lot of obstacles to get to where they were now and it was great to see that it hadn’t been for nothing. It was obvious to anyone how much they loved each other. 

When the movie ended, Uma reached over and turned the light on. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to bed. I’m so tired.” 

“So are they.” Carlos turned to see where Jay was pointing. 

Mal and Evie were both fast asleep. Evie was completely on top of her girlfriend with her face buried in her neck. Mal had her arms wrapped around Evie’s waist and they both looked so content and happy. 

Carlos reached over and grabbed Mal’s phone, snapping a picture so that the she could remember this. 

“Get up!” Uma yelled, shaking the recliner back and forth. “Time for bed!” 

Evie groaned and clung to Mal. Mal’s eyes opened slowly and she glared. “Yell like that again and we’re all going to find out what fried octopus tastes like.”

“Go to your bed, sleeping beauties.” Harry told them, interrupting before a fight could start. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Come on, Princess.” Mal tapped her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Evie.”

“Huh?” she looked around in confusion. 

“We’re going to bed.”

Evie got off of her (with Carlos’s help because she was still really out of it and nearly fell). The two girls stood up and Carlos watched with a smile as Evie, even though her eyes were closed, instinctively reached out for Mal. The shorter girl grabbed her hand and led her towards the stairs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

“Goodnight.” Mal called out before they disappeared upstairs. 

“I love them.” Carlos said. Uma, Jay, and Harry nodded in agreement. 

To the four of them, who had grown up in broken homes with only one parent, no relationship could ever be more perfect than Evie and Mal’s.


	9. Migraines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any ideas for a chapter, please tell me what you would like to see!

Mal and Evie had an unconventional, overloaded schedule. They were both members of Ben’s council, and the leaders of the Isle of the Lost council. This meant that they were both incredibly busy with diplomatic meetings and trying to convince people to bring over more kids from the Isle. On top of that, Evie owns a successful fashion company and she is currently doing classes at Auradon University majoring in chemistry and minoring in fashion. Mal is at AU too for art and doing commissions for people whenever she is able. 

They did their best to make sure that they spent time together. They travelled to other territories within the United States of Auradon together, unless one of them had a big assignment to do or they were too busy with their other work. They were usually able to adjust their schedules to align with each other. They were extremely supportive of each other’s dreams and they would do whatever it took to make things work. 

But the best times were when they weren’t touring or doing interviews or big events or classes. The times when they were both able to come home every night and spend time together. Luckily for them, they have both always been night owls. Their many obligations can be demanding, and sometimes, they won’t get into the house until well after midnight. 

No matter what, whoever gets home first will make sure that there is food ready when the other one arrives. Then, they’ll sit down and watch a TV show; when they first arrived in Auradon, they had made fun of the sappiness, but they had grown accustomed to it. Their main choices were Game of Thrones (Mal’s obsession), Say Yes to the Dress (Evie’s obsession), or Grey’s Anatomy (which they both love equally). And even if this means they don’t get to sleep until five or six in the morning, it’s nice because they are together and they can just sit around and talk and actually spend time with one another. 

That’s why Mal was especially happy that she finished up with her meeting with Ben at nine o’clock. Evie couldn’t fall asleep until at least one, and Mal never went to bed earlier than two, so she knew that they would have extra time together tonight. She even stopped to get pizza so that they wouldn’t have to worry about making anything (plus she knew that Evie had done a photo shoot and an interview for a magazine about her clothing line today, so she hadn’t had time to go to the grocery store and she was pretty sure all they had in the cabinet was box of cereal, a jar of salsa, and a bag of stale pretzels). Mal was pleased to see Evie’s car parked in the driveway of the starter castle and pulled in next to it. 

She shifted the pizza to her left hand so she could unlock the door with her right and she pushed it open with her foot. Immediately she noticed that the lights in the living room and kitchen were off, which was a telltale sign that Evie wasn’t downstairs. Mal assumed she was probably in the shower and turned on the kitchen light and set the pizza down. She figured she might as well go upstairs and get her comfy clothes on so she could get ready for the Games of Thrones marathon they were about to have since they had missed the past three episodes. 

Mal didn’t hear the shower running and she was confused. She opened the door to her bedroom and flipped on the light. She immediately heard a whimper from the huge lump on her bed. 

“Baby?” she went over and sat on the edge of the bed. She attempted to peel back the blankets, but Evie had them tightly grasped over her head. “What’s wrong?”

“The light.” She whispered. 

Mal understood what was happening now. She went over and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. She returned to Evie’s side of the bed and sat on the edge again. 

Evie had a problem with stressing herself out. She was a worrier and she would overthink every little detail and come up with scenarios that hadn’t even happened yet (and probably never would). When she was really stressed out, she would get migraines, which also came with throwing up and an extreme sensitivity to light and sound. 

She pulled back the blanket gently and saw that Evie’s eyes were still closed tightly and her hands were pressed against her temples. Mal sighed and leaned down, pressing her lips to her forehead. 

“Did you take anything?”

“It didn’t help.” Evie mumbled. 

“Have you eaten?” she was met with silence. “Evie.” 

“No.” she tried to turn her body to get away from her girlfriend’s questions, but Mal kept her hands on her shoulders. 

“Did you throw up?”

“Uh-huh.” 

“Then you need to eat something. Did you take the medicine before or after you threw up?” 

“Before.” 

“You threw up the medicine then and that’s why you’re not feeling any better. C’mon, baby girl. Come downstairs.” 

“Please just leave me alone, M. I can’t do it. I think this is the worst one I’ve ever had.” 

Mal let go of her and Evie turned to her stomach, putting her head under her pillow in an attempt to relieve the pain. Mal ran her hand gently up and down the taller girl’s back. 

“I’m not going to make you eat, but you do need to take some more medicine. I’ll go get it.” 

Mal went downstairs to the kitchen and opened the cabinet where they keep their medicine. It still amazed her that they had gone from the Isle where they had zero medical care to now having a prescription made especially to help Evie with her horrible headaches. She took two of the pills out of the bottle and grabbed a bottle of water and returned upstairs. She wasn’t surprised to see that Evie was now curled up in a ball with her knees practically touching her forehead. 

“Sit up, baby.” Mal put a hand on Evie’s lower back and helped her sit up. She gave her the pills and helped her drink the water since she refused to open her eyes. “I’m gonna put your hair in a ponytail in case you throw up again.”

“No.” Evie whined. “It pulls and it hurts.”

“I’ll do it really loose, okay?” 

“No, Mal.” She laid back down, sighing heavily. “I just wanna sleep.”

Mal changed into more comfortable clothes and went to her own side of the bed. She laid down behind her girlfriend and lazily drew patterns on her back, trying to soothe her. 

Suddenly, Evie threw back the blankets and ran to the master bathroom attached to their room. Mal followed after her, grimacing when she saw Evie violently throwing up into the toilet, some of it getting into her hair. 

“You’re okay.” Mal kneeled behind her and gathered her hair, trying to ignore the vomit in it.

Evie was crying and still throwing up and Mal felt helpless. She hated these situations when she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do to help her. She continued to hold her hair in her left hand and reached over to turn on the bath water with her right hand.

Her girlfriend helplessly rested her forehead on the toilet seat, taking in deep breaths. Mal got up and put the stopper into the tub so it would fill with warm water. She moved back the shower curtain and waited patiently for it to get to the right amount. 

“Stand up, Evie.” She commanded gently, patting her back to get her attention. 

“No. Please.” She whimpered. 

“You have puke in your hair. I don’t think you’re going to be very comfortable with that.” 

Evie reluctantly stood with Mal’s help. She helped her girlfriend to undress and then assisted her in getting into the bath tub. Evie settled into the water and sunk down, turning to her side so that her temple could rest against the edge of the tub. She sighed at the relief of the coolness on her aching head. 

Mal leaned over her and washed her hair quickly, trying not to move her head around too much because she knew it would only increase the pain. She couldn’t tell if Evie had fallen asleep or not but she hoped that she had; it was the only way that her pain truly went away. 

“M?” Evie whispered. “Can I get out now? I’m freezing.”

“Yeah, baby.” Mal drained the water and grabbed a towel. Evie leaned forward and rested her forehead against Mal’s shoulder. The smaller girl dried her off as much as possible and lifted her gently over the side of the bath tub. She led her into their bedroom and passed her a pair of underwear and a t-shirt. Evie changed quickly and laid back down. “Do you wanna try the medicine again?”

“No.” Evie lifted her head slightly. “Will you lay with me?”

“Of course.”

Mal laid on her side of the bed. It hurt her heart to see how much pain Evie was in just from the simple act of scooting across the bed to where she was. She lifted her arm and put it around her girlfriend so she could rest her head on her chest. She cuddled Evie close and kissed her temple. 

“I love you.” She whispered. “Close your eyes.”

She stroked her back gently until they both eventually drifted off.

\-----

The next morning, Mal could tell that Evie still wasn’t feeling well. They both got out of bed and went downstairs. They ate the pizza that Mal had bought the night before. 

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Evie said. 

“Always.” Mal put her hand on Evie’s forehead. “You don’t feel like you have a fever or anything. How’s your head?”

“It still hurts, but not as bad.”

“What do you have to do today?” Mal knew Evie’s busy schedule was what had stressed her out so badly, so she was hoping that it would be an easy day. 

“I have to go to a council meeting with Audrey, and then I have a few meetings with clients who would like to look over some of my designs.” 

“Are you sure you feel well enough to do that?”

“I can handle it.” Evie bit into her pizza. “What about you? What are you doing today?”

“Going to teach an art class at Auradon Elementary, and then meeting with Ben and Jay about starting a sports team on the Isle.”

Evie pouted. “You get to do all the fun stuff.”

“You really wanna listen to hundreds of screaming kids right now?” the older girl grimaced at the idea. “That’s what I thought. If you’re up for it tonight, we’ll have our Game of Thrones marathon.”

“Of course I’ll be up for it.”

Mal stopped mid-reach for her next slice of pizza. “I’m serious, Evie. If you’re not feeling well, text me and I’ll come home. I hate seeing you in so much pain and knowing you have to deal with it alone.”

“I will, M.” 

“I’ve gotta go.” Mal grabbed her piece of pizza and went over, kissing Evie quickly. “Love you.” She kissed her again. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Love you too.” Evie smiled at her.

“You’re so cute.” She kissed her nose and rested their foreheads together for a second. “Maybe we should both just stay home today.”

She pushed Mal gently. “ _Go_.”

“I’ll see you later, babe.” 

“Goodbye.”

“Don’t miss me too much.”

Evie rolled her eyes, sending a stab of pain through her head. Mal noticed her grimace. 

“Evie…”

“I’m fine. Still a little sensitive to eye rolling, I guess.” 

Mal came back over and hugged her. “I really don’t want to leave you.” 

“Well it doesn’t matter because you’ll be staying here by yourself. I have to go soon.” Evie’s face was pressed into Mal’s neck and she gently kissed it. “Now you better go before you’re late. You can’t let all those kids down.” Mal pulled back and Evie saw the worry in her eyes. “I’m okay, babe. I’ll see you tonight.” 

She reluctantly moved away, grabbing her bag, phone, and keys and heading towards the front door. She turned around. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go!” Evie saw Mal pout and then leave. She smiled to herself; she loved when Mal got protective and one of those times was definitely when she wasn’t feeling well. She just hoped the migraine would stay away for the rest of the day. 

\-----

Mal finished up for the day at around seven. She called Evie and wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer; that probably meant she was still in a meeting and hadn’t gotten home yet. She stopped at the store to get a couple of basic things since they had hardly anything and then went home. 

She immediately knew something was wrong when Evie’s car was parked in the driveway. She knew that she must have been there for a while. If she had been in a meeting when she called, she would have returned the call before coming home. 

She put all of the groceries she had bought away and then went upstairs. Their bedroom was empty, but she heard noise coming from the bathroom. Evie was laying on the bathroom floor sobbing. 

Mal went to her, dropping to her knees. “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“My head.” Evie cried. 

“Shhh, don’t cry, it’s only going to make it worse.” She brushed the tears off of Evie’s cheeks. Mal went into the bedroom and grabbed one of her sweatshirts, draping it across the bathroom window so that it was darker in there. She sat down and rested her back against the wall that was across from the toilet. She pulled Evie between her legs and her girlfriend’s head dropped back to rest on her shoulder. She rested her right hand on Evie’s thigh and brought her left hand up to stroke Evie’s arm. “Just breathe, Princess.” 

After a couple of minutes of silence, Evie calmed down a lot. She turned so she was on her side and pressed her forehead against Mal’s neck. 

“How long have you been home?” 

“A couple hours. I was at the council meeting and I got another migraine. This one’s even worse than yesterday. I don’t even know how I got home.”

“You should have called me. I would have come to pick you up.”

“I know, but you needed to go do your stuff. I made it home.”

“But you shouldn’t have been driving. You could have killed yourself or someone else, Evie.” 

“Can we please not fight? I can’t handle it right now.” 

“I’m sorry.” She kissed her head. “Come on, let’s get you in bed.” 

She helped her back into their bedroom and shut the curtains since it was still kind of light outside.

Evie sunk into the mattress and pulled the blankets up to her chin. “You should go eat. You probably haven’t eaten all day.” 

“I’m not leaving you.”

“I’ll be here when you get back.” Evie reassured her. 

Mal ate quickly, returning to find Evie nearly asleep. She climbed into bed, trying her hardest not to move too much and jostle her girlfriend. As soon as she laid down, Evie scooted closer to her, lifting her head so it rested on Mal’s chest. 

“Thank you.” She whispered, her eyes still shut as she pressed a kiss to Mal’s chest over her t-shirt. 

“It’s my job to take care of you.” Mal reminded her. Her hand instinctively moved up to stroke Evie’s hair, but she paused right before doing it. She didn’t know if that would pull her hair too much and hurt her head. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just hold me and don’t let me go.” Evie whimpered. 

“I’m here, Princess.” Mal kissed her forehead and tightened her arms around her. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

“Love you.” Evie said quietly after a moment, her voice already sounding like she was close to sleep. 

“Not as much as I love you.” Mal told her. It was like that was what Evie had been waiting to hear. As soon as the words left her lips, Evie let out a sigh and her breathing evened out. 

Mal just held her closer. No matter what, she would always be there for her girl.


	10. *Evie's Firsts (Part 1)

Evie and Mal’s relationship had been steadily evolving since their arrival in Auradon. They could feel it, the boys could feel it, and Evie was sure that even the Auradonians could feel the shift in energy. 

When they first left the Isle, Mal had put a love spell on Ben. Evie understood that it was necessary so they could get closer to the wand and impress their parents. But what surprised her was how uncomfortable she got every time she helped Mal get ready for a date with the prince of Auradon. 

Back on the Isle, they hadn’t exactly been a couple. They had known each other since they were five years old because of a deal struck by their mothers. With this deal, Maleficent inherited Evie’s loyalty along with her mother’s, meaning that the blue haired girl was forced into doing her dirty work for her. It wasn’t exactly uncommon; Maleficent would strike up a deal with a villain, and as part of that deal, their child would pledge loyalty and work for her. That’s how Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos ended up becoming allies. 

As they got older, they all had their strengths. Mal’s was her reputation and unrelenting personality, Jay’s was his physical strength and ability to steal, Carlos’s was his extreme intelligence, and Evie’s was her beauty. Of course, her friends knew she had more to offer than her looks, but with the Evil Queen as a mother, she was only ever allowed to be pretty. As soon as she was old enough, it didn’t become uncommon for Maleficent to have her sleep with someone in return for a favor. 

Maleficent never forced her, but there was always an underlying threat there. Evie didn’t enjoy the new part of her job, but she did it because she knew that if she refused, Maleficent and her mother could make things so much worse. She wasn’t the only one with this new expectation; Jay was often told to seduce others to get to whatever Maleficent was looking for. Sleeping with someone in exchange for something was typical on the Isle. They had no money, so trade was their only way of getting what they needed, and if you had nothing valuable to offer, then you had to give yourself. 

Despite all of that, the four teenagers grew closer and closer. They worked together, protected each other, and made sure that they were all taken care of. But it was different with Mal and Evie. 

Evie would never forget when she had an arrangement with Harry Hook and he had the audacity to make her cry. Mal had dragged him out of a classroom by his neck and beaten him to a bloody pulp (which definitely did not help her already growing feud with Uma). When Evie asked her why later, Mal told her she would go to war for her princess. 

From then on out, no one questioned Mal’s loyalty to Evie. And as much as Evie was Mal’s, Mal was Evie’s. The blue haired girl knew she couldn’t show her protectiveness as openly as Mal (if Maleficent heard her daughter let a princess fight her battles for her, that would be the end of her existence), so she showed it in other ways. She would make potions to help heal Mal’s injuries after a fight, and she would stay up late with her coming up with their next scheme to take on the pirates. When it all got to be too much, Evie would force Mal into bed and remind her how important it was to get enough rest so she was on top of her game. 

People on the Isle didn’t date. They fucked whoever with no strings attached and love was a foreign concept. But there were people out there who thought that Mal and Evie were dating (though they didn’t dare to voice that opinion). The two girls didn’t know it at the time, but they definitely had feelings that were much stronger than friendship for each other. There was no way they could have acted on it anyway without repercussions from their mothers. Instead, they both had their “arrangements” with other people- Evie fucked Anthony Tremaine for a while, then moved on to Harry, along with whoever she used to get what Maleficent needed, and Mal fucked Uma, then Yzma’s son Zevon, and then Mad Maddy. 

No matter what, they always came back to each other. In their most heated moments, they got as far as intense make out sessions that included some over-the-clothes grinding and above-the-waist touching. But both girls always brushed it off as a fluke; they cared about each other as allies and nothing more. 

That’s when Auradon came into play. After Mal took the wand and turned Maleficent into a lizard, things changed. She broke things off with Ben, who was pretty understanding about the entire situation for someone who had just been love spelled and nearly killed by a dragon. Once they realized they were staying in Auradon, it was like Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos could just be themselves, and they took full advantage of that situation. 

Jay started to play sports. It was a great way to channel all the energy that he usually put into protecting his crew or doing jobs for Maleficent. When they first came to Auradon, he had been practically bouncing from all the pent up energy in his body, but playing sports had been a way to release it. He actually felt like he could breathe again, and he loved the credit he got as Auradon’s MVP. 

Carlos had all the supplies he needed to completely dive into his love for technology. On the Isle, he had used mismatched parts to try and put together different inventions that would make their lives easier. In Auradon, it was much easier to obtain those parts and actually get to create something that would work. 

Mal had struggled with her aggression since she was a child (Evie always thought that it had to do with how her mother treated her as a toddler, and Mal didn’t necessarily disagree). For the first few weeks, she had the hardest time out of the VKs. That is, until Fairy Godmother invited her to do private magic lessons. The result was almost like Jay putting his energy into sports- Mal worked so hard trying to contain and control her magic that she was constantly exhausted, which manifested as aggression. As soon as she got a control on her magic, her other struggles faded away. 

Evie had only ever been allowed to be a pretty face, but once she came to Auradon, she realized she was so much more. She obviously had a knack for making potions (the one thing her mother let her read about on the Isle), which translated to a love for chemistry. She excelled there first, then quickly got the hang of things in math, then reading, and then she read enough that she was able to soar in history class too. She was at the top of their class, and Carlos even joked that she had passed him up in intelligence. She also had all the fabric she could ever ask for to create gorgeous ball gowns and sensible suits.

But something was still missing. 

It was like a dull ache in her chest that would come and go. She could never explain it, and she didn’t try to because she was scared her friends would think she was crazy. So she just held onto it and did her best to think about the cause. 

It took her a full two weeks to realize that the ache always happened when she was away from Mal. Whether it was when she was in chemistry class, or when Mal left their dorm to go work out with Jay, or when Evie went with Carlos to the library to study, it was like her body could feel that Mal wasn’t there. As soon as the purple haired girl was close, a calming wave would rush over her and she felt like she could breathe again. 

Jay was the first person she had told. It slipped out, all at once one night while the two of them were watching a movie (Mal and Carlos had gone to grab dinner). When Evie said she missed Mal every single time she was gone, no matter how long it was for, Jay just got a tiny smile on his face. He had pushed her to talk to Mal about it (Evie had no idea then that Mal had told him the same thing a week earlier). 

It took another week before she got the courage to talk to Mal. 

_“I…I don’t want you to go.” Evie said, standing up as Mal rose to walk over to the door._

_Mal turned around to face her. “I’m just going to the art room, E. I’ll be back soon.”_

_“My chest does this thing when you’re not there.” She practically whispered._

_Mal frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”_

_“It’s like there’s something missing. It took me a little while, but I realized that it’s only when you leave. I think you’re the missing piece, M.”_

_Mal walked over to her, her smile growing as she got closer. “You feel it too?”_

_Evie looked at her in surprise. “Wait, you feel it?”_

_“Mmhmm. Every time we’re not together, I feel this weird emptiness.”_

_Evie tried to hide the way her hands were shaking. “So what do we do about it?”_

_Mal took another step forward until they were inches away from each other. “I guess we’ll just have to stick together”. She leaned up and pressed her lips against Evie’s._

The girls found out soon after from Fairy Godmother that it was part of their magic. They had formed such a strong connection that their magic reacted to each other’s. That was part of why Mal’s had been so chaotic in the beginning; Evie’s magic took a little longer to show itself, and her magic could tell that it was missing. FG theorized that it had something to do with the Isle, but Evie and Mal just smiled, knowing it was all them. 

All of that led to where they currently were now. They had realized the strength of their bond (and started dating) three months into arriving in Auradon, and another three months had passed. The two of them were getting closer every day, but they still hadn’t given in to their desires for one another. 

Evie wasn’t sure that would be true for much longer. 

It all started on a Saturday morning. Mal had gone on her usual run with Jay and Lonnie, and when she came back, she was all sweaty and flushed. Evie woke up when the dorm room door shut and squinted against the light. 

She knew it was disgusting, but sweaty Mal just did something to her. She held her arms out to her girlfriend, opening and closing her hands as she reached for her. 

“Hi Princess.” Mal greeted softly. She came over with the intention of kissing Evie’s forehead. She was surprised when Evie reached out and grabbed her chin and instead redirected her to her lips. Mal followed her guidance and kissed the smooth, full lips she loved so much. 

Evie’s lips parted instantly and Mal slid her tongue inside. The angle was a little awkward and Evie’s neck hurt, so she grabbed Mal’s shoulder and tried to pull her on top of her. The purple haired girl pulled away, causing a pout to form on Evie’s face. 

“No pouting.” Mal said, giving her another quick kiss. 

“Why did you stop?” Evie’s voice was still raspy from sleep and it made Mal’s head feel dizzy. She thought her voice was incredibly sexy, and Evie had no idea that power she had over her because of it. 

“Because I’m all sweaty.” 

“So?” Evie reached up to kiss her again, and Mal gave in. She could never deny her girlfriend. This time, when Evie pulled her onto the bed, Mal let her. 

It didn’t take long for things to get heated. Evie moaned into Mal’s mouth; she could kiss her soft, plump lips forever. Eventually, they needed to breathe, causing Mal to separate their lips and move her kisses to Evie’s jaw. She pressed open mouthed kisses to Evie’s jaw, and then trailed them down to her neck. Evie tangled her fingers in Mal’s hair when she felt her stop and suck on one of her sensitive spots. She would definitely have a hickey, but it felt too good for her to care. 

Evie spread her legs, giving Mal room to lay on top of her and get comfortable. As soon as she did, Mal leaned her body down, grinding on top of Evie’s center. She swore she felt wetness soak through her panties already. Evie was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, while Mal had on sweatpants, a sports bra, and a tank top. The bunched up material of Mal’s sweatpants rubbed against her again and Evie moaned. 

“M.” she whimpered, throwing her head back to give her more access to her neck. Mal took the hint and gently bit Evie’s skin, then soothed the burn with her tongue. Evie lifted her hips, seeking some sort of contact. She whined when she was met with just air. 

Mal laughed, then grinded down against Evie again. The taller girl raised her own hips to meet her, making both of them gasp. Mal leaned down and returned to kissing her neck. She trailed her kisses down until she got to her t-shirt. Evie watched her as Mal lifted her head, then brought it over to her covered breast. She pressed a gentle kiss against Evie’s left nipple, then her right. Mal looked up at her, as if she was asking permission, and Evie nodded. Mal trailed the tip of her tongue in circles around Evie’s nipple over top of her t-shirt. 

The sensation sent spikes of pleasure straight to Evie’s core. The rough fabric rubbing against her sensitive nipple made her sigh happily. Mal flattened her tongue and licked straight over top of her nipple, then pulled it into her mouth and started to suck through her shirt. Evie knew she had to be dripping now as she groaned loudly. 

Mal’s other hand slipped underneath her shirt. Her fingertips trailed over Evie’s skin so lightly that it made her break out in goosebumps. Her fingers kept moving until they reached her left breast. As Mal still teased and sucked on Evie’s right nipple, she started to pinch her left. At the same time, she grinded her hips down against Evie’s. 

Evie let out her loudest moan yet. She suddenly felt overheated and pulled away from all of Mal’s teasing. She reached down to the hem of her shirt. “Take it off.” She pleaded. 

Mal chuckled and pulled the shirt over Evie’s head. As soon as it was off, Mal started to pepper kisses against her collarbone. 

“No.” Evie groaned. “Go back to what you were doing.” 

“You’re demanding today, you know that?” Mal said. She trailed her kisses back down to Evie’s nipples and licked around the sensitive bud, but never actually touched it. 

“Mal!” Evie whined in frustration. 

“Patience, Princess.” Mal replied before she started to suck on the underside of Evie’s breast. Evie let her eyes drift shut as she brought her hips up again to meet Mal’s, the friction making her whimper.

Mal’s hands went to Evie’s hips, grabbing her roughly to bring their bodies together again. As soon as they separated, she sucked Evie’s bare nipple into her mouth, causing the blue haired girl to cry out.

“Yes, baby.” Evie moaned. Mal teased the neglected nipple with her fingers and Evie just enjoyed the feeling. Mal switched breasts and grinded down against her again, but suddenly, it wasn’t enough. Evie reached her hands up and squeezed Mal’s ass, causing her to bite down on one of her nipples. Evie gasped at the feeling of her wetness growing from the pain. 

“I love those pretty sounds you’re making for me.” Mal told her, trailing her kisses back up to Evie’s neck. “I love hearing how much you like what I’m doing to you.” She pressed their lips together, forcing Evie’s mouth open with her tongue before she even gave the girl a chance to do it herself. She sucked Evie’s bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled on it, her fingers still pinching and pulling Evie’s nipples.

Evie sighed when Mal grinded down on her again. It felt good, but for the first time, Evie felt like she needed more. She was soaking wet and throbbing to the point that it was almost painful, and she needed relief. 

“Off.” She said, her hands going to her shorts. 

“Wait.” Mal interrupted, separating her lips from her neck. She straddled Evie’s waist, causing the girl to whine at the loss of contact. “Are you sure?”

While they had plenty of experience with the upper half of each other’s body, they had never gone beyond that. 

Evie nodded her head in response. 

“Say it out loud, baby girl. I need to hear your voice.” 

“Yes.” Evie said. “I need more.” 

Mal gave her a long, lingering kiss that made Evie feel lightheaded. As soon as they pulled apart, Mal’s hands drifted down to her shorts. She slowly slid her fingers under the waistband and then pulled them down until Evie could kick them off, leaving her in only a thin pair of panties. 

“Fuck, Evie.” Mal groaned. “You’re soaked.” 

“And you have on too much clothes.” Evie countered. Her hands went to the hem of Mal’s shirt, and the purple haired girl nodded once. She pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, her sports bra joining a moment later.

Mal leaned up to kiss her again and their bare nipples rubbed up against each other, causing both girls to cry out. Evie kissed Mal until there was no air left in her lungs. 

“What do you need, baby?” Mal asked as she kissed Evie’s neck again. “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.” 

“I don’t care.” Evie said. She pulled Mal’s hair slightly when she bit down on her pulse point. “Whatever you want.” 

“This is about making you feel good.” Mal responded.

“I really don’t care, M.” Evie reassured her. 

“What’s the best way to make you come?” Mal questioned bluntly. 

Evie felt her face flush, both at the brashness and at the actual question. She leaned up to press her lips to Mal’s again. Her girlfriend let her for a moment, then looked at her expectantly. 

“I don’t know.” Evie mumbled. 

“What?” Mal asked, not hearing her from how softly she had spoken. 

“I said I don’t know.” Evie looked at her pleadingly. “Can we just go back to kissing?”

“No, I want to talk about this.” Mal sat up so she was straddling Evie’s waist again. “What do you mean you don’t know the best way to make you come?” it took a moment, but realization dawned on the slightly older girl’s face. “Evie, have you never had an orgasm before?” 

If Evie wasn’t blushing before, she definitely was now. She tried to bury her face in the pillow, but Mal wasn’t having it. 

“Hey, don’t do that.” Mal leaned down, accidently rubbing her center against Evie’s, causing the other girl to let out a squeak. She pulled the pillow away and looked at her girlfriend. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, Princess. I’m just genuinely curious.” She stroked her cheek. “Was I right?” 

Evie nodded reluctantly. 

Suddenly, Mal’s concern turned to anger. “You mean to tell me that the guys you’ve had sex with never took it upon themselves to take care of you?” 

“It’s not a big deal, Mal.” Evie said with a sigh. Her lower half was still pulsing uncomfortably and she wished she had never pushed Mal into going further. At least then, she could have kept grinding against her and felt something instead of having this conversation. 

“It is a big deal!” 

“Can we please just drop it?” Evie begged. “I just want to focus on us, okay?” 

“What about when you touch yourself? How do you make yourself come?” 

Evie looked down. “I’ve never really touched myself before.” 

“Then how could you ever know what you like?” Mal sighed. “We’re seriously going to have to work on your sexual experiences. There’s a whole world out there that you’re missing, my princess.” 

Mal seemed even more determined now than she did before. She pulled her sweatpants off, leaving both of them in their underwear. She kissed Evie even more passionately, and after a few moments, she felt the tension leave her body again. 

Mal spent some more time getting her worked up, sucking on her neck and kissing her breasts. Then, she started to press open mouthed kisses against Evie’s stomach. It wasn’t the first time she had done that, but it was the first time Evie felt such a strong reaction to it. 

“M, please.” Evie whimpered. 

Mal’s hands went to her underwear. She looked at Evie in a silent question, to which she immediately nodded. Mal pulled down her underwear and her eyes landed on Evie’s completely naked body for the first time. 

She was absolutely perfect. Mal was convinced that Evie was some sort of goddess. She couldn’t believe that she was lucky enough to have her as her girlfriend. She started to trail her kisses lower and all of a sudden, Evie tensed up. 

“Wait!” She called out.

Mal instantly sat up, putting a little space between them. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m going to eat you out?” Mal said in a question. She didn’t understand where the confusion was. 

“I don’t like that.” 

“What?” Mal asked incredulously. Suddenly, she connected the dots. Judging by how red Evie’s face was and the fact that she had never had an orgasm, it was pretty obvious. “Has anyone ever eaten you out before?” 

Evie hesitated for a second, then shook her head no. 

“Okay, listen to me.” Mal grabbed her hands. “I’m telling you this, girl-to-girl, you will not regret it. It’s literally the best part of sex, and for some girls it’s the only way they orgasm.” She frowned. “I swear that next time I see Harry Hook, I’m going to punch him in the face. You two fucked for months, but he never ate you out or made you come?” 

Evie’s face got redder the more Mal talked. “Can we please not talk about other people I’ve fucked right now?” 

“Sorry, but I just can’t believe that. That’s incredibly selfish of him.” 

Evie still looked nervous. “If I say I don’t want you to, will you be mad at me?” 

Mal had the realization that maybe up until now, sex hadn’t really been an enjoyable thing for Evie. She knew that Evie had to seduce men as a way to get what they needed on the Isle and to keep Maleficent happy, but she never acted like it was a miserable or horrifying experience. Plus there was the fact that she kept Harry Hook and Anthony Tremaine around, so Mal figured Evie was at least getting something out of it. But right now, looking at her beautiful girlfriend, it almost seemed like Evie didn’t understand that sex was supposed to be good for both people. 

“Of course not, baby.” Mal leaned up and gave her a gentle kiss. “We can always stop at any time if you’re not comfortable, okay? I would never make you do something that you’re not enjoying.” She kissed her cheek. “Sex is supposed to be fun for both of us. If your body isn’t feeling good, then we stop, every single time, no matter how far we have gone.” 

Evie connected their lips again in a gentle kiss. It quickly gained heat, and suddenly, Evie was reminded of her current dilemma. She really wanted to go all the way with Mal, but she still didn’t know if she could let her do what she wanted. 

“M?” she said as she pulled back. 

“Hmmm?” 

“I…I want you to do something. But I don’t think I want you to use your mouth.” 

“Okay.” Mal agreed. “If you’re still in the mood, I know other ways to make you feel good.”

“Skip the teasing, I’m ready.” Evie insisted. 

Mal smiled at her eagerness. “First, you have to say it.” 

“Say what?” 

“Tell me what you want.” 

Evie was a little embarrassed. Mal was the first girl she would ever sleep with, so she was already pretty unexperienced in that area. Besides that, every time she had slept with a guy, it was quick and then it was done. They never made her talk or pushed her to explain her feelings, and especially not right in the middle of it. 

“You.” She said, hoping Mal would let her get away with it. 

Of course, she didn’t. “Not good enough, Princess.” Mal leaned down, swirling her tongue around Evie’s nipple, then blowing on it. “What do you want?” 

“I want you to help me.” Evie’s voice went up an octave at the end as Mal gently nibbled on her hardened bud. 

“How can I help you, baby girl?” Mal sucked her entire nipple into her mouth. 

“Make me come.” Evie said through a moan. 

Mal smiled. “Good job, baby.” Then, her hands were trailing down Evie’s sides, lingering at her hips. Mal reached down and grabbed her thighs, then pushed them further apart. Evie followed the directions without a second thought. 

Mal grinded down on her again, causing both of them to let out a sigh. The purple haired girl pulled off her own underwear, leaving them completely bare for the first time. Evie longed for the skin on skin contact, but right now, there was something she needed more. 

Mal’s right hand started to get closer and closer to her center. Evie spread her legs even further and let out a whimper. She had never felt like this before. It was like there was a little ball in her stomach that was tightening with every one of Mal’s touches. 

Mal’s fingers ghosted over Evie’s lower region, causing her to let out a breathy whine. She ran her fingertips carefully over the sensitive skin, sending shockwaves through Evie’s body. She pressed down a little more firmly, gathering the wetness that was spilling out of her. Then, Mal brought two fingers up to Evie’s most sensitive spot and pressed down. 

Evie’s back arched and her mouth fell open as a moan spilled from her lips. Mal used her left hand to hold her down, keeping her right hand pressed against Evie’s clit. 

“Easy, baby.” She soothed. “You’re okay.” She started to rub in wide circles, touching the areas surrounding her clit too. 

“Yes, M. Fuck.” Evie moaned.

“Tell me how you’re feeling.” Mal said. 

“So good.” Evie told her. Her eyes shut as Mal’s circles got smaller, causing her pleasure to grow. 

“God, you look so gorgeous right now.” Mal stated as she pulled her fingers away from Evie’s clit and brought them down to explore other parts of her. “I’m kind of happy I get to be your first. I’m glad that no one else has gotten to see you like this, or hear these beautiful sounds you’re making. I can’t wait to watch you fall apart.” 

Evie’s arousal increased at Mal’s words. “More.” She moaned, though she wasn’t really sure what she was asking for more of. 

Mal’s index finger drifted down to her opening and she circled around it. “What do you need?” 

“Inside.” Evie practically begged. 

Mal easily slid one finger inside of Evie’s wet heat, causing a sigh of pleasure to leave her lips. She pulled it out, then pushed it all the way back in again. She did it a few more times, but it wasn’t enough. 

“More.” She repeated. “Please, baby.” 

She felt a second finger join the first and Mal pushed slower as her walls stretched. Evie let out a high, throaty moan as she felt wetness coat her walls. Mal thrusted the two fingers in and out. 

“M. M. M.” she chanted, her voice getting higher pitched as she got closer and closer. “Fuck.” She whined, dragging out the final sound. 

Mal added a third finger and then Evie was a whimpering mess. She couldn’t feel anything but Mal’s hands. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open in a silent cry. 

“Ready, baby?” Mal asked, leaning down to give her a kiss on the neck. 

Before Evie had a chance to ask what she meant, Mal’s other hand started to rub her clit. Suddenly, Evie’s entire body tensed up and she felt nothing for a few seconds until waves of pleasure crashed down on her. She screamed. 

Mal didn’t care who in the dorms could hear them, she would do anything to make Evie fall apart like that over and over again. She continued to pump her fingers into Evie, her pulsing walls making it difficult. She started to tap against her clit instead of rubbing so she wouldn’t overstimulate her. She looked down, seeing the fluids gushing out of her girlfriend’s body. 

Evie felt like she blacked out for a few minutes. She suddenly understood why people enjoyed sex so much. She wondered if it would be that good with Mal every single time.

Finally, the pleasure subsided and Evie felt like she could breathe again. She felt Mal pull her fingers out from inside her and whimpered slightly at the little shocks it sent through her body. Mal looked at her with a triumphant smile. 

“How was that?” she questioned with a cocky expression on her face.

“So fucking good.” Evie admitted. Her arms and legs felt shaky as she struggled to formulate normal thoughts. 

Mal scooted up until they were face to face. “You’re so pretty when you come for me.” 

Evie felt herself blush again. She didn’t know if she would ever be able to talk about sex as casually as Mal. 

The purple haired girl pulled her into her arms. Evie relaxed against her for a minute, finally getting the skin to skin contact she had been craving before. It felt amazing to be held against Mal’s chest and feel their skin rubbing together instead of clothing. 

“Wait.” Evie said as realization dawned on her. “It’s your turn.” She tried to sit up, but Mal kept her arms around her. 

“That’s okay, baby.” Mal kissed her forehead. “This was about you, not me.” 

“But I want you to feel good too.” 

“Trust me, watching you was enough for me right now. I just want you to relax and enjoy this, okay?” she gave her a quick kiss on her swollen lips.

Evie suddenly felt sleepy. She just nodded her head and then leaned down to lay on Mal’s chest, sighing contently. Her eyes fluttered shut and she was almost asleep. 

“M?” she called out. 

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” 

Mal kissed the top of her head. “I love you more, E.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few other ideas for chapters related to this one, which is why it's called part 1. 
> 
> Let me know if there's anything else you would like to see! I know one review asked for Evie taking care of Mal, and I will be starting that one soon!


	11. Long Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie has been travelling around the United States of Auradon with Ben to gain more support for bringing kids over from the Isle. While she loves her job, the worst part is being away from Mal.

Evie groaned at the roughness of the road under the limo. She would be arriving at the venue just in time for the ball she was attending tonight in Agrabah, so she didn’t have to worry about doing any red carpet walks or photo shoots. She loved being a representative for the Isle of the Lost, but it was a lot of work and many tedious activities. 

She glanced at her cellphone and saw that it was only 9:12am. She hadn’t gone to bed until almost three, meaning she only got about six hours of sleep. Evie could feel a headache starting to come on from the lack of sleep, but she just ignored it; her body should be used to never getting to rest by now. 

Her schedule had already been created and carefully laid out the day for her. She would get to the venue at four, do hair and make-up until five, meet and talk to a list of people that she and Ben had come up with together, and then the ball started at seven (though Evie probably wouldn’t go on until somewhere between 8:30 and 9). She knew she could go back to sleep if she wanted to, but there was something else she would much rather do. 

Evie went to her Favorites list in her phone and found the one at the top, touching Facetime. She saw her face appear on the screen and quickly tried to smooth down her hair and wipe the makeup from under her eyes so she didn’t look as crazy. She rolled over onto her stomach and propped her phone up against the door so that she didn’t have to hold it, glad that she had an entire limo to herself that she could stretch out and relax in. 

“Hey baby.” her girlfriend’s face appeared on the screen. Mal had a tired smile on her face; she looked happy. 

“Hey.” Evie smiled back. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry.”

“No, you didn’t wake me up.” 

Evie noticed that the background was definitely not their little castle in the woods. “Where are you?”

“At the studio.” Mal said. 

“Have you been there all night? Is that why you look so tired?”

“Yeah, I’ve been coming up with so many ideas lately, it’s like my art is making itself.” Mal smiled, running a hand through her hair. “Did you just wake up?”

“Mmhmm.” 

“You look exhausted.”

“I feel exhausted. I’m so glad that I have a free day tomorrow. I’m going to spend it sleeping.”

“Lack of sleep is the worst part of traveling. How was your big meeting last night?” usually, they talked every night, but Mal had been in the art studio when Evie finished so they didn’t have the chance to talk. 

“It was amazing. We finally have support from Naveen and Tiana to help bring some of the Isle kids over and let them stay in their kingdom. I’ll never get over the feeling of people finally giving us a chance.”

“It’s the second best feeling in the world.” Mal agreed. 

Evie raised an eyebrow. “What’s the first?”

“Being in love with you.”

The blue haired girl laughed with a snort. “You’re such a dork, M.” 

“But I’m _your_ dork.” 

“Are you going home soon? You need to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I was getting ready to go when I got your call.”

“Go then. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“No, I’d rather talk to you for a few more minutes.” 

Evie studied Mal’s features. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. All of the VKs are invited to the ball in Cinderellasburg in two weeks though, so we’ll see each other then.”

Evie pouted. “Yeah, but only for a few hours and then I’ll have to go to Arendelle.” She loved her job, but she hated that it took her away from Mal. While she was out travelling the United States of Auradon to try and help the Isle kids still trapped under the barrier, Mal was in Auradon working as an artist and mentoring the Isle kids they had already brought over. 

“Actually, I worked something out.”

“What do you mean?” Evie immediately felt her heart race. Mal was always coming up with these little plans while she was traveling so they could see each other. 

“I talked to Ben and I made a deal with him.”

“Which is…”

“If he doesn’t let me see my girlfriend for longer than an hour, I’ll kick his ass and set his castle on fire.” 

Evie rolled her eyes, but didn’t doubt that Mal may have actually had that conversation. “What did you really say?” 

“You have the ball in Cinderellasburg on Thursday, then some meetings in Charmington on Friday, a quick visit to the Isle of the Lost on Saturday, a few meetings in Auroria on Sunday, and then a day off on Monday. I’m going to go with you to all those places and then I’ll go back to Auradon on Monday night.” 

Evie smiled so big that her cheeks hurt. “Really!?” 

“Uh-huh. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see you in person. This screen doesn’t do you justice.” Mal smiled. “Do you like my plan?”

“I love your plan. Thank you.” 

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just selfish and I want to spend time with you. But I was told to tell you that you’re going to have to bring as much intelligence and charisma as you do in every other meeting to those ones or nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Evie looked at her in surprise. “Ben said that?” 

Mal rolled her eyes. “No, Audrey.” 

Evie laughed; that sounded like her friend. “There will be more effort put into it because I know you’ll be with me. Are you gonna come to the meetings?” 

“I can if you want me to.”

“Yes!” Evie laid her arm in front of her and rested her chin on it. “I’m so excited. I wish this was all happening tonight.”

“Me too, baby, but it’s not that much longer. It’ll fly by.” She saw Mal look at something behind the phone. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll talk to you tonight, okay? I love you.”

“Love you too.” Evie smiled and waved before hanging up. 

This day couldn’t get any better. 

\-----

Evie had finished up her last meeting and now she was walking into the ballroom. She was dressed in a long, silky, blue dress (that she had made herself, of course) and her blue hair was pulled into an updo. She scanned the room, looking to see if there was anyone she knew. 

“You look beautiful, as usual.” Ben said, coming over to her side. The two of them had been doing what they called The Isle of the Lost Tour together for the past few weeks now, and Evie couldn’t ask for a better political partner than the King of Auradon. She loved working with Ben because of how much respect he had for her- he never interrupted or talked over her during meetings, and he often turned to her for advice. She knew that with him on their side, the Isle kids would be brought over to Auradon in no time. 

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Evie reached out, adjusting his tie. She had designed his suit too and it fit perfectly. She wished Audrey was here to see it- she knew Ben had been missing his girlfriend just as much as she was missing hers.

“Can I tell you something?” 

“Of course. What happened? Was I too harsh with Queen Aurora? I’m sorry, I just still can’t get over how she’s treated Mal and…”

“No, no, you sounded great.” Ben interrupted. He studied her face for a second, but didn’t speak. 

Evie motioned for him to continue speaking. “Okay, so what is it?”

“You deserve to be happy more than anyone else I know.” 

Evie shook her head. “No, there are plenty of people out there who are more deserving than I am.” 

“Nope.” Ben refused. “I want you to be happy.” 

“Okay…” Evie was confused. Why was he acting so weird? 

Ben grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her body. Evie looked out across the dance floor and her eyes landed on purple. 

Mal.

“Ben…” she whispered. 

He laughed. “Go get her, Eves.” 

Evie moved as fast as she could go in her heels and dress. Mal met her halfway and she slammed against her, wrapping her arms around her neck. 

“Hi, baby girl.” Mal greeted. She reached out and cupped her cheeks. “You’re so fucking gorgeous. Facetime doesn’t do you justice.” 

Evie threw herself back into her arms. “How are you here?” 

“Yeah, so this morning, I wasn’t at the art studio. I was actually about to get on a private plane that Ben ordered to fly me to Agrabah. That’s why I had to get off the phone so quick; someone came in to tell me it was time and I didn’t want you to hear.” Mal leaned forward and kissed her. “I love you so much. I missed you.” 

“Me too.” Evie kissed her back and then hugged her again. Mal rested their foreheads together and they just stood there. “I’m scared to ask.” 

“Scared to ask what?”

“How long will you be here?”

“Well you’ve got your break tomorrow, so I’ll stay with you for the day and then I’ll fly back to Auradon tomorrow night.”

“Can we go to the hotel? I’m exhausted and I know I’ll actually get to sleep tonight.”

“Are you sure you want to leave the ball?” 

“I already talked to the people I was supposed to. Ben can take it from here.” 

Right as she said it, the boy in question came over. “Mal, it’s good to see you.” He hugged his friend. “Go spend time with her, Evie. I’ve got this.” 

“Thank you.” She hugged Ben quickly, then grabbed Mal’s hand. 

Evie led the way out of the castle. She smiled at a couple of people as they passed, but kept her hand locked in Mal’s. She walked over to one of the limos that was lined up and waiting for the guests to leave and gave them the name of her hotel. She and Mal talked the whole ride home, and she loved all the stories Mal was telling her about what Dizzy, Celia, Squeaky, Squirmy, and the other kids had been up to. 

“Can we get room service?” Mal asked as they finally got to Evie’s hotel room. She sat by the phone and picked up the menu. 

“Order whatever you want.” Evie said. “I’m gonna change.” 

She went to the bathroom and slid on a clean pair of underwear and one of Mal’s t-shirts. She liked to keep them with her for her tours so she could feel closer to her, which was kind of embarrassing now that Mal was actually here. She removed all her makeup and threw her hair in a ponytail, then went back to the bedroom. Mal was getting off the phone right as she came in. 

“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you like this.” Mal reached out to her, pulling Evie over to straddle her lap. “Are you wearing my shirt?”

“Mmhmm.” Evie kissed her. “Did you order food?” 

“Yeah, it should be up in ten minutes.” Mal ran her fingers through Evie’s ponytail. “I’m a little worried about you.” 

“Why?”

“Because now that I’m seeing you in person, I can tell how tired you are.” Mal stroked her cheek. “Are you sleeping at all?”

Evie shrugged, looking down at her lap. “Sometimes.” 

She forgot how annoying it was that she couldn’t ignore Mal when she was literally sitting on her lap. Her girlfriend tilted her chin back up so she was making eye contact. “Why can’t you sleep? Is it because you spend so much time in the car?” 

“No.” Evie sighed. “It’s because you’re not there. I can’t sleep without you.” 

Mal pulled her close. “How much longer does this Isle tour have to keep happening? I want you home.” 

“Until we get enough support.” Evie smiled. “We’re getting really close though, M. When we first started, Ben and I only ever heard the word ‘no’. Now people are actually taking the time to listen, and we’re getting signatures. It’s amazing.”

“’I’m proud of you.” Mal told her. “Who knew my girl would grow up to be something even more important than a queen?” 

“Shut up.” Evie giggled, but she couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. She wished that they would have more time than this, but she knew that they were lucky to get any time at all. “What did the boys say when you left? Were they mad?”

“Considering I was taking care of all the kids for two weeks by myself while Jay played Tourney and Carlos did whatever tech shit he does, they couldn’t really argue. Besides that, I’ve been pulling all-nighters for the past three days to finish all my commissions so that I could leave without anything holding me back.”

Evie looked at her in amazement. “You haven’t slept in three days?” 

Mal shrugged. “I took a couple of naps.” 

“M.” She scolded gently. 

“What? You know that I can’t really sleep without you either so it’s not like I’m missing out on much.” 

There was a knock on the door, signaling that their food had arrived. Mal went to get it and then they sat together on the couch in the little sitting area with their meals. 

“Tell me about you.” Mal said. “What’s been going on?”

For the next ten minutes, the girls discussed little details of things that had happened to them in their time apart (they already knew pretty much everything since they talked every night). The two of them lounged around on the couch, eating until they couldn’t take any more, and laughing and talking. Mal was sitting up with Evie’s head in her lap, stroking one hand through her hair. One look into her light brown eyes told her that she wasn’t going to be awake much longer. 

“Come on, baby. Let’s lay down.” 

Evie led her to the bed. The two girls crawled into it, cuddling close to each other. They rested their foreheads against each other and Mal covered both of them with the blanket. 

“I wish we were home. Our bed is so much more comfortable.” Evie mumbled. 

“Definitely.” Mal agreed. She leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend’s nose. “Get some sleep, E.”

“I don’t want to sleep all day tomorrow. We can’t waste our time together.” Evie’s voice was heavy with sleep. 

“We won’t.” Mal assured her. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” They both drifted off in each other’s arms. 

\-----

Mal could feel herself wake up, but she kept her eyes closed. She was extremely confused at the weight against her chest and the discomfort in her back. Her eyes opened slowly and she remembered that she was in Evie’s hotel room. 

She glanced down and smiled. Evie’s head was on her chest, her right hand gripping Mal’s shirt. She had her right leg thrown over Mal’s hips and their legs were tangled together.

She turned her head towards the clock, her eyes widening when she saw that it was almost noon. Her plane would leave at 6:30, meaning that she would have to get to the airport by 6. She and Evie only had about six hours together. 

“Baby.” She shook her shoulder gently and kissed her cheek. “Evie.” 

“Too early.” She groaned, turning her head more to completely cover her face. 

“It’s noon.”

“What?” Evie sat up quickly, banging her head against the headboard. “Owww.”

Mal sat up slower and put a hand on the back of Evie’s head. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She pouted. “Now we have, like, no time together.” 

“Any time is good.” Mal kissed her forehead. “We’ll get ready and then go eat and maybe we can take a walk at a park or something.” 

“Okay.” Evie’s voice was soft as she got out of bed. Mal sighed; she knew that as the day went on, her girlfriend would get a lot quieter. Saying goodbye was always the hardest part. 

They both showered and changed clothes and ended up finding a little diner. 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Evie wondered, taking a bite of her waffle. 

“I think I’m going to do something with Dizzy and Celia in the morning, and then I have an art class to teach at night for some teenagers.”

“Why do they have you teaching so late? Can’t you get that moved?”

“I told you that I don’t sleep anyway. I like the distraction.”

“Not sleeping isn’t good for you, M.”

“It’s not good for you either, but judging by the bags under your eyes, you’re not doing much of it.” She poked Evie’s cheek to emphasize her point. “Let’s face it. We’re a mess without each other.” 

Evie dipped her finger in syrup and wiped it across Mal’s cheek. “We sure are.” 

\-----

Saying goodbye was always the hardest thing for Evie to do. She loved Mal’s visits, but sometimes she thought that they hurt more because she gave her a taste of the life they have together and then she was gone before she could even enjoy it. 

She felt herself getting clingier as they day went on, but Mal didn’t say anything and Evie couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. The only bad thing about Evie’s job was the separation from traveling. Lately, they had spent so much more time apart than together and it was definitely taking its toll on both girls. 

The drive to the airport was short and the limo stayed outside, waiting for Evie to return. She and Mal entered the airport and they found Mal’s gate together. 

“Maybe we should get a puppy.” Mal suggested. “That way, I won’t be so lonely.” 

“You don’t need a puppy. You have Jay and Carlos and all the kids.” Evie reminded her. “It’s me who is lonely.” 

“At least you have Ben.” Mal kissed her forehead. “It’s so hard to leave you.”

“Then just stay.” Evie knew that she wasn’t being fair, but she had to say it.

“We both know that I can’t.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“We both know that you can’t.” 

Evie rested her head on Mal’s shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you every single day. But just remember, we’ll see each other in Cinderellasburg in two weeks. Less than two weeks now.” She kissed her forehead. “It won’t be that much longer, and like you said, your starting to gain support.” 

“It better go fast.”

“It will.” Mal smiled. “You know, I bet people on the Isle never would have thought that the stone cold, heartless daughter of the Evil Queen could be so clingy.”

Evie scoffed, pushing her arm lightly. “I am not clingy!”

“Sure, sure.”

“Take it back!”

“You’re not clingy, you’re just…sensitive.”

“No, I’m just not good with separation. It never ends well.” 

“It won’t be long until we’re together again. And who knows? I might come up with another plot for us to see each other before we’re supposed to.” 

A man in a suit came over- Evie recognized him as one of Ben’s guards. “Miss Mal, your flight is now boarding.”

“Time to go.” Mal stood up. Evie followed her lead and she could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes. “Please don’t cry, baby. It’s okay.”

“I can’t help it.” Evie sniffled. “I hate being away from you.”

“I hate it even more, but you have to do this. You are making such a big difference in the world, and you are helping so many innocent kids have a better chance at life. You’re amazing.” Mal kissed her and grabbed her hand so she could walk with her towards the gate. When they got there, she hugged her. “I love you so, so much.”

“I love you more.” Evie kissed her quickly. Mal threaded her fingers through the other girl’s hair, keeping her there longer so she could deepen it. When they pulled back, they were both panting. Evie closed her eyes and put her forehead against Mal’s. “You’re gonna miss your flight.”

“We’ll have more time together.”

“Don’t say that, it’s really tempting.” 

Mal reluctantly pulled back. “Thirteen days, E.” 

“Thirteen days.” Evie repeated, trying to smile so Mal would feel better.

“You’ll be okay. It’ll be me sitting in the art studio all night, pining away for your voice and playing old voicemails just to hear it.” 

Evie rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dork.”

Mal shrugged. “It’s alright; I listened to your voicemails two nights ago, so I’ll probably stalk your social media tonight.” Evie laughed. “It’s even better that you think I’m kidding.”

Evie put her arms around Mal’s neck, but didn’t move closer so she could still look at her. “You seriously stalk my social media?”

“Uh-huh. In my head, I read all of your posts in your voice. It almost makes me feel like you’re there.”

“Mal.” Evie whispered, feeling the emotion in her own voice. She hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder. “I stalk yours sometimes too.”

Mal laughed. “We really are a pair, aren’t we?” 

“We must go, Miss Mal.” The guard gently urged. 

“Thirteen days.” Mal said, kissing Evie again. When she pulled back, she saw that her girlfriend was crying. She felt a tear slide down her own cheek but she wiped it away quickly, then wiped at Evie’s cheeks. “Stop, we’re not gonna cry. I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Evie stood there, watching Mal followed the guard down the hallway that led to the plane. She turned around and waved and Evie waved back, giving her a small smile. 

All she knew was that this would be the longest thirteen days of her life, but she wouldn’t give this time up with Mal for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would you like to see next? Let me know!


	12. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie and Mal are both famous singers. Mal always gets a little nervous before putting out a new song, and when she’s in one of her moods, Evie is the only one who can calm her down. Song is ‘When I Look at You’ by Miley Cyrus. 
> 
> Also inspired by a comment on a previous chapter where someone wanted to see Evie taking care of Mal!

Mal strummed the strings on her guitar with no real intent, just trying out sounds in a useless attempt to entertain herself. She knew that it was hopeless; she would never finish this song. She sighed and stared towards the street from where she sat on her front porch. 

The front door opened behind her, but she didn’t bother to turn around since she already knew who it was. She felt two arms wrap around her shoulders and lips pressed against her temple.

“Good morning.” Evie greeted, her voice raspier than usual from sleep. 

“Morning.”

“You never came to bed. Have you been out here all night?”

“No, I was in the basement, but I came out here at, like, five. What time is it?”

“7:30am.” 

“And you’re actually awake?”

Evie shrugged. “I was lonely.” She pulled a chair next to Mal’s. “What’s going on, M? You’ve barely been sleeping for the past week. Are you stressed out with work?”

“I need to have a song written by tomorrow morning and I’ve got down some possible music and that’s pretty much it. And then I have to play that song for the label and if they like it, I have to perform it tomorrow night for a radio station, and if they don’t, then I’m going to get stuck with one of their boring, overused, cookie cutter songs with meaningless lyrics. That’s not what I’m about, E. I wanna use songs about my experiences that I wrote, but they’re rushing me.” 

“I’ll help you.” Evie offered, reaching over and grabbing the guitar from her girlfriend’s hands. She glanced at the sheet of music that she had written on and started to play. “Do you have any lyrics?”

“Just one little part.” Mal sighed and began to sing. _“When I look at you, I see forgiveness. I see the truth. You love me for who I am, like the stars hold the moon.”_

“Sing it again.” Evie commanded, playing a different part of the music as her girlfriend sang the lyrics. It seemed to fit well, but it wouldn’t sound right as the beginning of the song or the chorus. 

“See? It’s hopeless. I have no inspiration. This is so hard.” Mal sighed and ran a hand through her blonde hair. 

“Hey, you need to stop. You’re not doing anything but stressing yourself out.” Evie grabbed the hand that was in her hair and held it with her own. “You’ve got this, M.” She bit her lip. “I’m gonna play something and if you don’t like it, you have to be honest. Promise?”

“Promise.” Mal locked their pinkies. 

_“Everybody needs inspiration, everybody needs a song. A beautiful melody when the nights are long. Cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy.”_ Evie sang. _“When my world is falling apart, when there’s no light to break up the dark that’s when I, I, I look at you.”_ She glanced up from the guitar shyly. “What do you think?” 

Mal took the guitar and picked up from where Evie left off. _“When the waves are flooding the shore and I can’t find my way home anymore that’s when I, I, I look at you. When I look at you, I see forgiveness. I see the truth. You love me for who I am, like the stars hold the moon.”_ She grinned. “It’s perfect. How did you come up with it so fast?”

“Cause you said that you have no inspiration, and I know that you’re mine. So I just thought about how you make me feel, and how music brought us together.” 

“Thank you.” Mal kissed her cheek. “It’s not finished, but it’s a start and it’s a lot better than anything I thought of. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Evie gave her the puppy dog eyes. “Now can we please sleep?” 

\-----

Mal walked out of the record label, immediately clicking on the first name in her ‘Favorites’ list on her phone. It rang twice. 

“Hey, how did it go?” Evie questioned. 

“They loved it!” 

“That’s amazing, M!” 

“Yeah, all thanks to you.”

“I just helped you get started.”

“Baby, you wrote half the song. You know I’m gonna give you credit for it when it gets put on my album.” She could just imagine her rolling her eyes. “What are you doing right now?” 

“I just got finished being fitted for new outfits for a photo shoot I have next week. Nothing too exciting.” She could hear the sound of a car door unlocking and knew that Evie was about to drive. “So this means that you’re singing ‘When I Look at You’ for that interview tonight, right? Would they mind another person tagging along?”

“Are you saying you wanna come?”

“If I can. You look so…content…when you sing the song. I wanna see their reactions.” 

“I’m sure they won’t care, and if they do I’ll just argue until I get my way. I’m very persuasive, you know.”

“Oh trust me, I do. Do you have a stylist to get you ready today or are you supposed to get ready yourself?”

“Stylist. You wanna meet at home and then we’ll go to the studio together? I’m supposed to get ready there.” 

“Sounds good. I’m about to drive, so I’ll see you at home. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Mal hung up the phone. 

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at their house. Evie wasn’t there yet, so she went inside and started making a sandwich. She had hardly eaten all day and she was starving. 

As soon as she finished making it, the front door opened and Evie walked in. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants (Mal couldn’t help but notice how nicely they hugged her curves), a gray t-shirt with some random logo on it, black Vans, and her dark hair was in a messy bun. 

“Wow, nice outfit.” She joked. 

Evie rolled her eyes. “Shut up. I was exhausted this morning and it’s not like it mattered anyway since I spent most of the session naked so they could get accurate measurements.” 

“I wish I could have been there.”

“Pervert.” Evie smiled. “Do I have time to shower?”

“Uh-huh. We have an hour and a half until we need to leave, so take your time.” Mal sat down at one of the barstools that were next to their island so she could eat her sandwich. Evie went upstairs to get ready. 

A little over an hour later, Mal was on the couch with her arms crossed over her stomach. She could feel the anxiety setting in and it was really messing with her emotions. She honestly just wanted to stay home and hide; she hated showing off new music, especially songs that she had written, because there was always a chance that someone would hate it. 

“Ready?” Evie came downstairs looking a lot more put together. She had makeup on, her hair was down and straightened, and she was wearing dark jeans, blue heels, a black shirt, and a blue leather jacket.

“You’re so beautiful.” Mal came over and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. She saw the blush creep into Evie’s cheeks. “Why do you get so embarrassed when you get compliments?”

“Why are you trying to draw attention away from the fact that you’re freaking out about performing tonight?”

“How did you know?”

“M, I would think that you know by now that I can read you like a book. Everything is gonna be okay and everyone will love the song.” 

“I hope so.”

“They will.” Evie promised. “Quit freaking out and let’s go.” 

The girls arrived at the radio station and Evie sat in one of the many waiting rooms while Mal was taken in to see her stylist. There wouldn’t be a live audience (besides the hosts), but it would be recorded and posted on their YouTube account, so she was extremely nervous. 

Evie sat in an uncomfortable chair, her legs crossed as she tried to focus on the magazine on her lap. Honestly, her mind was on the busy schedule she had ahead of her for tomorrow and praying that Mal’s newest song was received well.

“Miss Evie?” she looked up, vaguely recognizing a girl that was probably about her age standing in the doorway. She was pretty sure she was an intern or an assistant or something like that to Mal’s hair stylist, and she thought her name was Jane. 

“Yes?”

“We need you in the makeup room right away.”

Evie closed her magazine and set it down on the table in the corner of the room. She followed the girl down the hallway and into the makeup room. 

Mal was fully dressed in white skinny jeans, a decorative purple tank top, and a black jean jacket over top of it. Her hair was flawlessly curled and her makeup was finished. But her expression was what troubled Evie. 

“What happened?” she demanded, going over to her girlfriend. 

“I was doing her hair and she just completely flipped out. She sounds like she can’t breathe!” Jane explained. 

“Come on, Mal. Take some deep breaths.” Her hair stylist, Audrey, was telling her. Mal’s eyes were wide and unfocused as she struggled to take in a breath. “You need to breathe.” 

“Excuse me.” Evie lightly pushed her out of the way, moving so she was kneeling in front of Mal. She grabbed both of her hands in her own and rested their joined hands on Mal’s knees. “Babe, look at me.” She moved one of her hands from Mal’s grasp and put it on her cheek. “Mal.” 

Green eyes met brown as the younger girl desperately tried to catch her breath. “Can’t…breathe…”

“I know, you’re having a panic attack.” Evie stood now that she had the eye contact she wanted. “Breathe in and out.” She moved Mal’s hand to over her heart. “Do you feel my heartbeat?”

Mal moved her hand away and leaned forward, resting her head on Evie’s chest and wrapping her arms around her back in a hug. 

Evie closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on keeping her breathing steady even though she was terrified. Every time Mal had a panic attack, she worried that she wouldn’t be able to catch her breath and she would just fall over and die. 

“Good job, baby, you’re breathing better. Close your eyes and listen to my heart.” Evie ran her fingers through Mal’s shoulder length blonde hair. 

After a few minutes of silence, Mal pulled back. She leaned up and pressed her lips to Evie’s in a quick kiss. “Thank you.”

“Mmhmm.” Evie studied her in concern. “Are you sure you’re gonna be good to perform tonight? You can just tell everyone that you’re not feeling well.”

“No, I need to do this. The song’s good, right?”

“It’s amazing.” Evie agreed. “And even if no one else likes it, I still will because it’s ours and it’s about us and our love and it’s perfect. Don’t let anyone tell you different, M.” 

“I don’t know why I care so much about what everyone else thinks.”

“Because you’re human.” Evie kissed her forehead. “Now you better get out there and blow them away after you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry.” Mal kissed the place on her shirt that covered her heart. 

“I forgive you, but it better not happen again.” She joked, hugging the smaller girl tightly. 

A knock on the door brought them out of their conversation. “Mal, we need you in the studio.” 

“I’m coming.” Mal pulled back from Evie. “Walk me there?”

“Sure.” They held hands and walked down the hallway together. “Good luck, even though you don’t really need it.”

“It still means everything to me.” She went inside. 

As Evie watched her start the interview, she knew that everything would be okay. And once Mal sang her song and everyone stared in amazement and immediately praised her, she knew that her girlfriend’s anxiety was for nothing.


	13. *Evie's Firsts (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie decides to take Mal's advice to learn more about her own body.

Ever since her first time with Mal, Evie had felt…different. 

For as long as she could remember, sex was something that was only used as a bargaining tool. Evie (and many others on the Isle) only slept with someone when they could gain something from it, or when they owed a debt. It was never for pleasure or enjoyment. Evie didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t necessarily fun either. 

But then, Mal opened her eyes to a whole new possibility. Though she had lost her virginity years before, she felt like it was her first time all over again. She loved the new component to their relationship. 

It had been a week since they started sleeping together. It was Saturday now, and Mal had to get up early to go to a meeting for art club (something she had been forced into joining by Ben and Fairy Godmother- even though she wouldn’t admit it, Evie knew she had fun). Evie was asleep on top of her, and therefore woke up as soon as Mal started moving. 

“No.” she groaned, gripping onto her girlfriend. 

“I’ll be back soon.” Mal soothed, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. “Go back to sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

Evie leaned up to kiss her again and from there, things escalated. Mal always got a little carried away, and as soon as she noticed Evie’s hickeys from the night before were lightening, she attached her lips to her collarbone and stomach to make them darker again. Then, she trailed her lips up to Evie’s breast, letting her tongue run over a hardened nipple. She bit down lightly, earning a moan. 

Mal’s fingers slid down to Evie’s underwear and she slipped them under the waistband. She ran her fingers lightly over Evie’s slit, then groaned almost as loudly as Evie. She slid her underwear down to her knees. 

“You’re so wet for me, baby.” Mal connected their lips again, instantly thrusting her tongue into Evie’s mouth. She ran one finger from the top to the bottom, gathering wetness. Then, she went back up to Evie’s bundle of nerves, circling her finger around it gently. 

“M.” she moaned, lifting her hips up to gain more friction. 

The loud blaring of the alarm clock interrupted the moment. Mal looked at her apologetically. 

“Mal…” Evie said warningly. 

“I’m sorry, I have to get dressed or I’m going to be late.” She pulled her fingers away from where Evie needed her most, then tried to give her a kiss, but Evie turned her head to the side. Realistically, she knew Mal had to go, but why would she get her all worked up first? 

Evie pouted, not moving an inch as Mal ran over to get dressed. She brushed her teeth and hair, then came back into the bedroom. Evie was still spread out on the bed, her t-shirt pulled up above her breasts and her underwear dangling by her knees. 

“God, you’re so fucking sexy, you know that?” Mal came over, grabbing Evie’s face and giving her a kiss. “When I get back from art club, I’m going to make it up to you, okay?” 

“How is that supposed to help me now?” Evie wondered. 

“Remember what we talked about before?” Mal gave her a gentle kiss on the neck. “It’s good to learn your own body so you know what you like.” Her hands went to Evie’s t-shirt and pulled it over her head. “Maybe you could practice.” She yanked her underwear off too, throwing them onto the ground.

Evie bit her lip as her face flushed. She had never really touched herself before, so she didn’t know where to start. 

Mal smirked down at her, then trailed kisses down her neck. “Go ahead, baby girl. Fuck yourself until I get back. Make yourself feel good.” She sucked Evie’s nipple into her mouth for a moment, then released it with a pop. “I’ll be back soon.” 

Evie wanted to cry when Mal left the dorm. Between her legs was throbbing and her nipples were so hard that it hurt. She desperately needed some kind of release. 

She hesitantly ran her hands down her chest, stopping at her breasts. She cupped them in her hands and squeezed experimentally. Evie let her fingertips run around her nipples, then gently rubbed the pad of her thumb against them. She inhaled sharply at the slight pain. 

She let her fingers run up and down her stomach, arching her back as it sent tingles down her spine. She always loved when Mal scratched her nails across her skin, but when she did it herself, it didn’t feel nearly as good. 

Evie spent a while just touching, rubbing, and pinching her breasts. Mal had taught her the pleasure that teasing could bring, so she figured she needed to keep working herself up. 

After she got bored with that, Evie brought her right hand down to between her legs. She hesitated for a second, wondering if she was really going to do it. Then, she felt the throbbing intensify and she knew she couldn’t wait until Mal got back to have her orgasm. 

Evie ran her index finger through her folds, feeling how wet she was. She actually moaned quietly at the feeling, dipping her finger down to gather some of the moisture. Then, she went back up to her clit. She knew enough from Mal touching her to know that the bundle of nerves was her ticket to having an orgasm. She pressed her finger down against it experimentally, then sighed in pleasure. 

Evie added her middle finger too, rubbing both fingers in tight circles as she chased her release. It felt good, but it didn’t make her feel like she was going to explode like when Mal did it.

She kept trying, but it just felt like an itch she couldn’t scratch. Evie attempted to go back to her nipples, but even that didn’t feel as good anymore. She was feeling absolutely hopeless when she suddenly heard someone outside her door. 

Evie grabbed the blanket quickly, throwing it over her body. She heard a key in the door and then it opened, revealing her girlfriend. Evie’s first thought was that she couldn’t believe she had been trying to get herself off for an hour now. 

“Hey beautiful.” Mal greeted, turning and locking the door behind her. “What’s going on?” 

Evie felt her face flush as she stayed covered with the blanket. She felt like a failure. What if all the times this past week she had touched Mal, the other girl had been pretending? If she couldn’t even make herself come, how was it possible that she made Mal come? 

Mal walked over to the bed and grabbed the blanket, pulling it off to reveal Evie’s naked body. The blue haired girl swore her eyes went from green to black within seconds. 

“How’s my girl?” she questioned, leaning down to kiss her neck. “Did you make yourself feel good?” 

“Were you faking it?” Evie blurted out, surprising even herself. 

Mal looked at her in confusion. “What?”

“All the times we’ve fucked this week. Were you just pretending you came?” 

“No…were you?” Mal asked, still not sure where this was coming from. 

“No!” 

“E, back up for a second. What’s going on here?” 

Evie avoided eye contact. “I couldn’t do it.” 

“Couldn’t do what?”

“Make myself come.” 

Mal laughed, making Evie glare at her. “I’m not making fun of you, I promise.” Mal said. “What didn’t work?” 

“I don’t know, it just didn’t feel as good as when you do it. I’ve literally been trying since you left and yeah, it felt good, but not good enough!” Evie let out a frustrated huff. 

Mal leaned down and gave her a kiss. She parted her lips, causing Evie to do the same. Mal slid her tongue into her mouth, battling her for dominance. As usual, she won. 

“Practice makes perfect.” Mal uttered when they finally pulled apart. “Come on, let’s take a bath.” 

“Okay.” Evie agreed, though she was frustrated. Why did Mal want to take a bath when clearly she needed her? She figured that Mal must not be in the mood anymore, and she wouldn’t push her if that’s not what she wanted. 

They went into the bathroom together and Evie started the water while Mal stripped. While they waited for the tub to fill up, Mal pushed Evie up against the countertop and practically attacked her with her lips. She kissed her mouth, neck, and chest and was just about to go to her stomach when Evie opened her eyes and saw that the water was at a good height. 

Mal got in first, then spread her legs so Evie could sit between them. The hot water did nothing but make Evie even more desperate for release. 

Mal gripped both of Evie’s wrists, picking them up and bringing them up so Evie’s hands were resting on her own breasts. Mal’s stayed over top of them, guiding them in their movements. 

“You always start here.” She said, helping Evie cup her breasts. “Get yourself worked up by squeezing and rubbing your nipples.” 

Evie listened to her words, suddenly realizing what was happening here. Was Mal going to teach her how to fuck herself? At this point, as long as she came, she didn’t really care. 

“Now use just your fingertips and circle around your nipples. Tease yourself.” Evie followed her instructions without question. “Now pinch.” Evie pinched, gasping at the feeling. “That’s it, baby. Just like that. Now alternate the rubbing, circling, and pinching. Just close your eyes and feel it.” 

The blue haired girl followed her instructions, letting out quiet sighs at the pleasure. Mal pressed kisses against her neck, biting down lightly and then soothing them with her tongue. After a few minutes, Mal’s hands were over hers again. 

“Just lightly tickle your skin as you move down.” Mal said, holding Evie’s hands and showing her where to touch on her stomach as she moved down towards her legs. “Go up and down a few times.” Evie did it on her own, feeling the shivers down her spine. Mal grabbed just her right hand. “Keep your legs together. First, you’re just going to touch. Don’t press down.” She guided Evie’s fingers so that they ran down her slit. “How does that feel?”

“I need more.” 

“Patience, baby.” Mal gave her a quick kiss on the neck. “Now you can spread your legs a little bit. Run two fingers up and down lightly. Tell me where it feels good.” 

Evie instantly moved her fingers up to her clit. “Right here.” 

Mal chuckled. “Okay, but where else? Other places can feel good too.” She took Evie’s hand again and moved it slower. Evie was surprised to feel pleasure as she tickled lightly over her skin. “You go nice and slow. If you jump right in, you could get overstimulated and then it won’t feel as good. What do you want next?” 

“Inside.” Evie admitted. 

“Start with one finger.” Mal took her hand, leading her index finger down to her opening. Mal held Evie’s wrist and gently pushed against it, making her one finger slide in. Evie moaned at the intrusion. “Push all the way in.” she let go, leaving Evie to do the work on her own. “Once it’s all the way in, pull it out and then push in again.” Evie followed her directions. When she was by herself, she hadn’t thought to do it like this. 

“Yes, baby.” Evie moaned. She let her head fall back against Mal’s shoulder, then turned her head and saw her exposed neck. She latched her lips onto Mal’s neck, licking and sucking the skin there as she pumped her finger in and out. 

“If it doesn’t feel like enough, you can always add another finger.” 

Evie instantly added a second finger. She couldn’t reach as deep as Mal from her angle, but the feeling of the stretch made up for it. She continued to move in and out, feeling like her temperature was rising. 

“I need to come.” She whimpered. “Please, M. I need more.” 

“Then give yourself more.” 

“How?” 

“Try it on your own. Listen to what your body is telling you.” 

Evie wished Mal would just help her. She closed her eyes in frustration, trying to figure out what would actually make her come. She decided that she needed some extra stimulation and brought her left hand down to her bundle of nerves. She rubbed her clit up and down, her back arching slightly at the pleasure. 

“There you go, Princess.” Mal praised. “See? You can do it.” Mal’s hands went over top of both of hers, adding more force behind her thrusts and more pressure against her clit. “It’s time for you to come. Let your body feel good.” Evie moved her hips along with the thrusts of her fingers, whining sharply. “God, you look so sexy right now. I love watching you fuck yourself. I love watching how your fingers are getting sucked back in. And your little clit is just begging for attention, isn’t it? Try pinching instead of rubbing.” Evie did as she said, crying out at the feeling. 

Evie decided that she could handle a little more. She added a third finger into her wetness, practically panting at the stretch. 

“Fuck, baby. You’re doing so good.” Mal said, her own voice sounding a little strained. 

She could feel the tension in her body building and building and building, until finally, it was too much. Evie fell over the edge with a loud moan. 

“M!” she practically shouted, earning a bite on her shoulder in response. 

“There you go, beautiful. Now the hardest part of doing this yourself is to keep fucking yourself through the orgasm. I know it’s hard, but keep going. It’s going to make you feel so good.” Mal practically took over, continuing to help Evie thrust her fingers inside with one hand and rub her clit with the other. Evie felt like she was floating. 

She completely melted against Mal, just letting the little aftershocks wash over her. Mal kissed her neck, shoulder, and the side of her face. 

“How do you feel?” she asked after a few minutes had passed. 

“Good.” Evie slowly pulled her fingers out, shivering at the feeling, which made Mal laugh. She turned around so that they could face each other and pressed her lips against Mal’s. As she kissed her, Evie’s hands started to wander. “Now it’s time for me to show you what I learned.”


	14. Car Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Evie is in a car accident, Mal lets her protective side out even more than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SO LONG for absolutely no reason. A few people requested Protective Mal, but this kind of got out of hand, so I hope you enjoy all the other random stuff that comes along with it! 
> 
> Please tell me if you have any other prompts for me to write!

Evie couldn’t wait to get home. She loved her job as a fashion designer, but sometimes the amount of work she had to do was overwhelming. She had opened up a store close to a year ago and it was insane how much time she had put into it. The last week had been especially difficult since her assistant, Dizzy, had taken a vacation. Evie had left her house at 5am that day, and it was almost 9pm now. She didn’t necessarily mind the long work hours, but she did miss seeing her fiancée. 

She smiled as one of the street lights perfectly hit her engagement ring, making it sparkle. She couldn’t wait to see Mal. They had both been so busy lately that they were lucky to spend an hour together before they fell into an exhausted sleep. Mal had just opened up her new art gallery a month ago, so she had to be there almost constantly to make sure things were running smoothly. 

By the time they both came home for the night, they would end up just cuddling on the couch and watching a movie, but one of them would always fall asleep before it ended (it was usually Evie, and Mal would scoop her up and carry her to bed). 

The light turned red, causing Evie to stop her car. Tonight, she really just wanted to take a bath with Mal. She was so exhausted and she had dealt with so many rude customers today. Her back hurt, her feet were aching from wearing heels all day, and her head was throbbing. Honestly, she just really needed a hug. 

The traffic light turned green and Evie hit the gas. She didn’t even make it across the intersection before a car coming the opposite direction ran the red light, hitting on the driver’s side of Evie’s car. 

\-----

Mal couldn’t wait until her fiancée got home. She had talked to Evie on her lunch break and the blue haired girl had told her all about her horrible day. She hoped that the day had gotten better, but she doubted it would. Mal had stopped and picked up Evie’s favorite ice cream and gotten everything ready for them to take a bubble bath. She just wanted to help her girl and make her feel better. 

When 9:00 hit, Mal was surprised. Evie had texted her that she was leaving the store over a half an hour ago, and it shouldn’t have taken her so long to get home. She figured that maybe she stopped at a gas station. 

At 9:15, Mal was up and going to stand by the window. She still didn’t see her fiancée’s car in the driveway. 

At 9:21, Mal’s cellphone rang. She sighed in relief, expecting it to be Evie. Maybe she forgot something at the store and had to run back. She was surprised to see an unfamiliar number. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, is this Mal Moors?” 

“Yes.” She said, wondering who was calling this late. 

“This is Auradon General Hospital. We had a woman, Genevieve Mills, brought in a few minutes ago and you are listed as her emergency contact.” 

Mal swore her heart stopped in her chest. “Yes, Evie is my fiancée. What’s going on? Is she okay?” 

“She was involved in a car accident. Another driver sped through a red light and their car hit your fiancée’s on the driver side. She is stable, but in some pain. The doctors are working on her now.” 

“I’ll be there right away.” Mal hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and keys, and flew out the front door. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to throw up. There was no way Evie had been in a car accident. She had to be okay. 

Mal didn’t even remember the drive to the hospital. She pulled her car into a parking spot and ran inside, finding the front desk immediately. 

“Hello, how can I help you?” a female nurse asked. 

“My fiancée, Genevieve Mills, was in a car accident.” 

The nurse stood and came around the counter. “Follow me and I will take you to her room.” 

“Is she okay?” Mal questioned.

“I’m not sure of the specifics, but I know that Genevieve…”

“Evie.” Mal interrupted. “She hates being called Genevieve.”

“I’m sorry.” the nurse said. “Evie is stable. That means there is nothing life threatening going on with her.”

Mal let out a sigh of relief. They could handle anything together. As long as Evie was alive, they could work through whatever else happened. They came up to a room that was blocked off by a curtain and the nurse moved it back, allowing enough room for her and Mal to go inside. 

The first thing Mal noticed was that Evie was crying. “No, no, no…” Evie whimpered. “You can’t take it. Please.” 

The doctor came over to her. “We’re putting your belongings in a bag, Genevieve. You can’t wear jewelry during an x-ray, sweetheart.” 

“Not my ring. You can’t take my ring.” 

Mal moved forward, going to her fiancée’s side. “Hey baby.” She greeted, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. Evie’s face had dried blood on it, there were marks all over her skin, her left arm was held against her chest, and her left leg had some sort of device on it and was resting on a stack of pillows. She had no pants on, but she was still wearing the shirt she had been in that morning. 

“Mal!” Evie called out. She tried to sit up, but the doctor came over. 

“Relax, sweetheart. You have to stay still, remember? Lay down, Genevieve.” The doctor looked at her. “Are you the fiancée?” 

“Yes, I’m Mal.” She introduced. “She likes to be called Evie.” She wanted to reach out and touch Evie to help calm her down, but she didn’t know how to do that without hurting her. 

“M, they’re trying to take my ring. Don’t let them take it.” Evie practically begged. It broke Mal’s heart.

“I’m Dr. Meadows, I’m going to be taking care of your fiancée.” The woman introduced. “We need to take her to get an x-ray. I suspect that her left leg is broken, and I think she hurt her left arm too, but she won’t let me look at it because she’s scared I’ll take her engagement ring.” 

Mal leaned down, moving so that she was in Evie’s direct sight line. As soon as they made eye contact, Evie seemed to calm down a little. 

“Hey baby, you need to take some deep breaths for me, okay? You have to calm down so the doctors and nurses can help you. They just want to make you feel better. Are you hurting?” Evie nodded her head, wincing even just from that small movement. “You’re going to be okay, my love.” Mal reached a hand up and gently stroked Evie’s cheek. “I’m going to hold onto your ring for now. Is that alright?”

“Uh-huh.” Evie’s body relaxed slightly as she moved her left arm. Mal reached down to take the ring off and Evie whined sharply. The part of her arm closest to her wrist was already swollen and bruised.

“Evie, I’m going to help Mal.” Dr. Meadows stated. She held Evie’s arm still while Mal carefully removed her ring. The nurse who had brought Mal back was holding a bag full of Evie’s other jewelry, her purse, and her cellphone, and she passed it all to Mal.

“M.” Evie whimpered. 

“I’m right here, E. You’re going to be okay.” Mal promised. She gave her a quick kiss. 

“I’m so tired.” 

Dr. Meadows came over again. “Evie, you have to keep your eyes open. No sleeping right now.” 

Mal looked to the doctor. “What’s going on? Is she okay?” 

“Evie was hit by a driver who ran a red light and smashed directly into the driver’s side of the car. She was trapped in the car and the fire department had to cut her out. There doesn’t seem to be any spine or neck injuries, though she did say she was feeling pain in her neck, which could just be whiplash. Her left leg was pinned and I’m almost positive it is broken, but we need to do an x-ray to find out the extent of the damage. As I already said, I’m thinking she hurt her left arm too, or it could just possibly be her wrist. Her left shoulder is really sore, which is most likely from her seatbelt. She hit her head at some point during the crash and she has a minor concussion. The marks you see on her face and arms are from the airbag deploying. It’s pretty common to walk away from an accident with broken ribs, so I’m going to scan those too just to be safe. She has some injuries, but she’s going to be okay.” Dr. Meadows smiled at her reassuringly. 

“Do you hear that, babe?” Mal smiled at Evie. “You’re going to be okay.” 

Evie gave her a weak smile in return and Mal could tell she was hurting. She wanted to hold her hand or kiss her forehead, but she was scared. 

Dr. Meadows started to speak again. “Evie, we are going to take you down to get an x-ray now. Mal can wait here until you’re finished.” 

“No, don’t leave.” Evie practically begged.

Mal didn’t know what to do. Evie never acted like this, and she knew she must be in a lot of pain and probably still in shock from the accident. The blue haired girl did struggle with anxiety, and Mal knew this whole situation was probably intensifying that. If she didn’t calm down, she was going to have a panic attack. 

“Can you walk us through exactly what will happen when you take her down for the x-ray?” Mal asked as she stroked Evie’s cheek again. That at least seemed to be one part of her that wasn’t hurting. 

Dr. Meadows described the process while Mal tried to keep Evie calm. She didn’t seem to be in pain when she ran her fingers lightly through her hair, so she alternated between touching her cheek and hair. By the time the doctor was finished explaining, Evie seemed much more relaxed. 

“Dr. Meadows is going to take you for your x-ray now, baby.” Mal kissed her cheek. “I’ll be waiting right here for you when you get back.” 

“Okay.” Evie practically whispered, her eyes starting to droop. 

Dr. Meadows and a few nurses took Evie’s bed out of the room. Now that Mal was alone, she realized that she hadn’t told anyone that Evie was in an accident. She figured she had to make some phone calls. She dialed Dizzy’s number first. 

“Hey Mal?” Dizzy answered, almost in a questioning tone. Like Evie, she had known Dizzy since they were all kids, but the two of them usually communicated through Evie. 

“Hey Diz. Evie was in a car accident.” 

“What?! Is she okay? What happened? Where are you? Can I talk to her? Why…” as Dizzy freaked out, Mal realized that maybe she should have said that a little more tactfully. 

“Dizzy, calm down. Evie is okay, but she’s pretty banged up. She’s getting x-rays right now to see if she broke one of her legs and one of her arms. I know that E said you’re on vacation right now, but do you think you could find some people to come in for the rest of the week? I would, but I don’t even know where to start with that. Evie’s not going to be able to work for a little while.” 

“Of course, tell Evie don’t worry about 4 Hearts at all! I will text some of the girls and see if they can cover some extra shifts, and if not, then I’ll go in. Evie getting better is the most important thing right now.” 

“Thank you. We owe you.” 

“Text me if there are any updates, okay?”

“I will.” Mal promised before ending the call. She called Jay next, but he didn’t answer, so then she tried Carlos. 

“What’s up, Mal?” Carlos responded. 

“Is Jay with you?”

“Yeah, he’s sleeping.” 

“I just wanted to let you guys know that Evie is in the hospital, but she’s okay.” 

“Jay, get up.” She heard Carlos say, followed by the older boy groaning. “What happened?”

“She was driving home from work and someone ran the red light and slammed directly into the driver’s side of her car. The doctor said that the firefighters had to cut her out of the car and everything. She has a concussion, she got burned by the airbag, her left leg is most likely broken, the doctor thinks she hurt somewhere on her left arm, and they’re checking to make sure she doesn’t have any broken ribs. She’s getting x-rays right now.”

“Holy fuck.” Jay cursed, and Mal figured that Carlos had put the phone on speaker. “What hospital are you guys at? We’ll get there as soon as we can.” 

“We’re at Auradon General Hospital, but you don’t have to come. She’s really anxious and out of it, so I think having more people here might stress her out.”

“Got it.” Carlos agreed. “Is there anything we can do?” 

“Not that I can think of. I already called Dizzy to get her to find people to cover shifts at the store since Evie won’t be able to go in for a little while. I’m going to text Jane too and see if she’s able to take care of everything at the gallery so I can stay with E.” 

“Keep us updated. Let us know when we can come see her, and tell E we love her.” 

“I will. I’ll call you tomorrow.” 

“Bye.” Jay and Carlos said in unison before the call ended. 

Mal sighed, running her hands through her hair. She didn’t even know what to do next. She figured she needed to find out about Evie’s car, so she called the police department for an update. They told her that the car had been towed and that it had extensive damage, then gave her the number for the car lot it was towed to. They also confirmed that Evie was not responsible for the crash and that there had been witnesses nearby who saw the other drive run a red light. Mal called their insurance company next and told them about what happened. She figured the tow yard probably wasn’t open, so she would call them tomorrow. 

Right as she finished making calls, the curtain was moved aside and Evie’s bed was pushed back into the room. As soon as Evie saw her, she gave her a sleepy smile. “Hi M.” 

“Hi, Pretty Girl.” Mal put her phone away so she could give her fiancée her full attention. “How are you?”

“Tired. My body hurts.” She sighed. “Can we go home now?”

“Soon, baby.” Mal kissed her cheek, then turned to Dr. Meadows. “What’s going on?” 

Dr. Meadows held up an x-ray. “This is Evie’s leg. Her tibia is broken right here.” She pointed on the picture to where the bone was disconnected. “Luckily, the bone is only broken in one place and it is a stable fracture, which means that recovery will probably be easier.” She held up a new x-ray. “This is Evie’s arm. She has a distal radius fracture. As you can see, that means the end of the bone in her forearm close to her wrist is broken.”

“What about her ribs?”

“Her ribs look good.” Dr. Meadows confirmed. “I also did an MRI since Evie hit her head, and that looks normal.”

“So what happens now?” Mal asked. Evie looked half asleep, so she decided to take over for her. “Are you putting a cast on her arm and leg?” 

“What you see on her leg now is a splint.” The woman explained. “We want to keep her leg elevated as much as possible to reduce swelling. She’ll stay in this splint for about 5 to 7 days so that the swelling will stop, and then she’ll be fitted for a cast. Same thing for her wrist.” 

“Why doesn’t her wrist have a splint then?” 

“Because before we can splint it, we need to reset the bones.” 

Mal grimaced as she looked at Evie. She stroked her fingers through her hair lovingly; it sounded painful and she hated the idea of her fiancée having to go through that. 

“Is it going to hurt?” Evie asked. 

“We’ll give you a local anesthetic, so you will be awake the whole time, but the area will be numb.” Dr. Meadows explained. “I’m going to have you admitted to the hospital so we can keep an eye on you tonight, just to be cautious. I’m going to grab one of the ortho doctors and they will reset your bones now so they can splint your wrist. It needs to be splinted to protect your bones from shifting more and slowing down your healing.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Meadows.” 

“Of course. The ortho doctor will be taking over from here. If you need anything, you can press that call button right there.” She pointed to it. “Evie, good luck in your recovery. You seem like a strong girl, and you are lucky to have such a supportive partner by your side.” 

Evie smiled, making Mal’s heart flutter. “She’s the best, isn’t she?” 

For the first time that night, Evie and Mal were left alone. “I love you so much, you know that?” Mal gave Evie a kiss. “Carlos and Jay said they love you, and Dizzy is going to take care of all of your work stuff.” 

“But she’s on vacation.” 

“She doesn’t care to help you out, E. She knows that you’re going to be recovering.” 

Evie sighed. “This really sucks, Mal.” 

“I know, Princess. I’m sorry.” 

“My car is fucked. The firefighters had to cut the door open.” 

Mal winced, imagining Evie being scared and in pain inside of her car. She went over and sat on her right side so that she could hold her hand. She pressed a kiss against the top of it. “I’m sorry about your car.” Evie loved her car, and it was the second big purchase she made after starting her own clothing line (the first being their home). “But we can get a new one. I’m just happy you’re alright.” 

“It was so scary.” Evie said quietly. “I didn’t see the other car coming. All I saw was a bright light from the left side and then my eyes were closed and when I opened them again, everything hurt and I couldn’t get out of the car.” Her eyes filled with tears. 

“Shhh, baby.” Mal kissed her cheek, then her lips. “You don’t have to talk about the accident, okay? I don’t want you to get upset.” 

“I really just want to go home.” 

“I know. As soon as we can go, I promise I will take you out of here. Right now, we need to figure out how to heal your arm and leg.” 

“They had to cut my pants off to get to my leg.” Evie told her, then gave her an exaggerated pout. “They were my favorite jeans.” 

Mal couldn’t help but smile. “I’m sure you can make yourself some new ones. You’re pretty talented.”

“How bad does my face look?” Evie bit her lip. “Is it going to scar?”

“I don’t think so. Does it hurt?” Evie nodded. “You were bleeding on your forehead, probably from where you hit your head. There’s dried up blood on your face, so that’s probably irritating your skin too.” Mal stood up, going over to the little sink in the corner of the room. She grabbed some paper towels and wetted them, then returned to Evie’s side. “I’m going to clean you up.” 

She dabbed at Evie’s face, causing the other girl to wince. Mal worked as gently as she could until finally, the beautiful face she loved so much was clean again. Now that she could actually see all of her skin, she could tell that there was a cut right beneath her hairline and a few small scrapes on her face. 

“I don’t think any of it will scar.” Mal said. “Did they give you any medicine?” 

“Dr. Meadows gave me ibuprofen when I first got here.” Evie tried to move around. “I’m so uncomfortable.” 

“They’ll be in here soon.” Mal could see that there were bruises underneath the collar of Evie’s shirt. She pulled it down slightly, seeing that her left shoulder was all bruised up. She remembered that Dr. Meadows said it was from the seatbelt. “Damn, baby. Your whole shoulder is bruised.” 

“It hurts too.” Evie admitted. “My whole body hurts.” 

Mal stroked the hair out of her face. “What do you need me to do?” 

“All I want is for you to hold me, but you can’t.” Mal’s heart broke at the defeated look on Evie’s face. That was all she wanted too. 

The curtain was moved aside and a dark-haired man who looked to be in his 30s walked into the room. “Hello, I’m Dr. Dryer. You must be Genevieve.” 

“Evie.” The two girls corrected at the same time. 

“Sorry about that. Hello, Evie, and who is your friend that you brought with you today?”

“Mal, my fiancée.” 

“Nice to meet you both.” He smiled warmly. “So you’ve got a broken wrist and a broken leg. How would you rate your pain right now, on a scale from 1 to 10?” 

“Like an 8.” Evie replied, her voice even starting to sound a little more strained. It broke Mal’s heart; the blue haired girl very rarely admitted to feeling pain, so she knew it had to be bad. 

“Let’s see if we can ease your pain. Your chart says you have no allergies to medication, is that correct?” Evie nodded. “Alright, let me go grab you a couple pain pills.” 

Dr. Dryer returned a few minutes later with a couple pills, which Evie swallowed without issue. This time, he also had a syringe. 

“I’m going to be inserting this near your wrist to numb the area so I can reset the bones.” 

Mal sighed internally. Evie was terrified of needles, so this wasn’t going to be easy. She had already turned to look at her, her light brown eyes wide. 

“Dr. Dryer, I’m going to warn you now that Evie hates needles.” Mal said. 

“I’m sorry, Evie, but trust me when I say that getting this anesthetic is going to be way less painful than feeling me reset your bones. Mal, I’m going to have you lean in and give Evie a hug.” Dr. Dryer pulled a bedside table over, sliding it over top so that Evie’s wrist could rest on it. She whimpered as soon as he moved her arm. He nodded towards Mal, who leaned in and hugged her fiancée, trying to be careful of all of her injuries. Evie buried her face in Mal’s neck. 

“You’re okay, baby girl.” Mal whispered into her ear. “Just relax, I’ve got you. Take some deep breaths for me, E.” 

Evie’s breaths were coming out in shudders, obviously waiting for the needle. Mal just kept stroking her back and her hair, hoping that this would be over with soon. All of a sudden, she felt Evie tense up and her arm jerk. 

“Evie, you are doing a great job. Just keep holding on to Mal.” Dr. Dryer chimed in. Then, Evie’s body relaxed. “See? It wasn’t so bad. I’m sure your pain is a lot lower now.” 

Mal kept Evie in her arms, just needing to be close to her for a little while longer. She kissed her temple. “I love you.” 

“Love you.” Evie whispered back. 

Dr. Dryer worked quickly but carefully, and before they knew it, he was finished. “You want to keep your arm and leg elevated so they are above your heart. Keeping your leg on the pillows is good, and for your wrist, you can try this.” He grabbed a pillow and put it on Evie’s stomach, then gently lifted her arm up and put it on top of the pillow. “How are you feeling, Evie? Are you a little more comfortable?” 

“Yes, thank you.” 

“Okay. We’re going to move you out of the emergency room and up to an inpatient room.” Dr. Dryer opened up the curtain. “Can I get a wheelchair in here, please?” he called out. A moment later, a nurse came in with a wheelchair. Dr. Dryer went over to the right side of Evie’s bed and easily scooped her up in his arms, then put her in the chair. He turned one of the pedals and used it to rest Evie’s left leg on. He took the blanket off the bed and used it to cover Evie up since she was still in her underwear, then look at the nurse. “Rebecca, can you get a hospital gown for Miss Evie here and bring it up to room 304?” 

“Of course, Dr. Dryer.” The nurse left the room. 

Mal grabbed Evie’s phone, purse, bag of jewelry, and her shoes and followed the doctor down the hallway. They got into the elevator and chatted, then Dr. Dryer led them to Evie’s new room. There was a bed, an attached bathroom, a TV mounted to the wall, and two chairs near the bed. Luckily, it was a single room. 

“Alright sweetheart, are you ready?” he asked Evie. She nodded, so he lifted her up again and transferred her to the bed. “If you start to feel any pain, numbness, or tingling, press the call button, okay? I’ll be back in to check on you in the morning, but for now, I want you to get some rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted.” 

Evie laughed. “Understatement of the century.” 

Dr. Dryer smiled. “Rebecca will be in with a gown for you in a few minutes.” He looked at Mal. “I’m going to have you set an alarm for every three hours on your phone. You’re going to wake Evie up and just ask her a few questions- her birthday, your address, that kind of thing. We want to make sure that her head injury doesn’t worsen. If she’s not able to answer the questions or you can tell something is off with her, hit the call button.” Mal nodded in understanding. “I’ll see you both later.” He exited the room. 

“Everyone here is so nice.” Evie commented. 

“They are.” Mal agreed. “That’s good, I wouldn’t want to have to waste my energy beating anyone’s ass for being rude to you.” 

Evie rolled her eyes, then winced when it shot a stab of pain through her head. “Can I tell you something?”

Mal pulled up a chair so she could sit on Evie’s right side. “Mmhmm.”

“I really have to pee.” 

Mal smiled. “They didn’t go over how to do that, did they?” she stood up and reached out for Evie, lifting her up easily. Evie wrapped her right arm around Mal’s neck, thinking about how grateful she was that Mal was so strong. The purple haired girl carried her into the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet, then grabbed her underwear and pulled them down for her. 

“Thank you.” Evie said with a grateful smile. 

“You know I’d do anything for you.” Mal kissed her forehead. They heard a knock on the bathroom door. “That must be the nurse.” She went over, opening the door slightly, but not enough to expose Evie. “Sorry, she had to go to the bathroom.” 

“Were you able to carry her on your own?” The nurse, Rebecca, asked. 

“Yeah, that’s not a problem.” 

“Okay, well if you ever feel like you can’t lift her, press the call button and someone can come in to help. We wouldn’t want you to hurt your back carrying her, or for you to drop her.” 

“Thank you.”

“Here is a gown for her, and I brought a couple wash cloths too in case she needs to clean up at all. It’s probably easiest to put the gown on her while she’s sitting on the toilet since the pressure will be off her leg. Be very careful when you put her wrist through the sleeve hole. If you need any help, press the button and I’ll come back in.” 

“Thanks.” Mal took the gown and wash cloths and went back into the bathroom. “Do you want to clean up, Pretty Girl?” 

“God, yes. I feel disgusting.” Evie admitted. 

Mal put everything down on the sink counter. She went over to Evie and carefully pulled her shirt over her head, doing her best not to disturb her arm. She unhooked her bra, leaving her naked besides her underwear. 

Mal turned on the water and waited until it was warm. She wetted the wash cloth and started to wipe down her girlfriend’s neck, arms, chest, and stomach. She did her thigh on her left leg, then her whole right leg. Once she was finished, she put the wash cloth into the little hamper by the door. 

“I can’t wait to go home and wash my hair.” Evie told her. “I’m sure it’s disgusting.” 

“It’s not.” Mal promised, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Do you want me to put your hair in a ponytail?” 

“Yes please.” 

Mal pulled Evie’s hair up, using the hair tie on her own wrist to secure it. Then, she helped her into the hospital gown, which was much easier than taking off her shirt since the gown tied in the back, and pulled up her underwear. Evie reached back and flushed the toilet, then reached her good arm out towards her fiancée. Mal scooped her up effortlessly and carried her back into the room, setting her on the bed. She was surprised to see a few extra pillows and figured that Rebecca had dropped them off. 

Sleeping was going to be hard for Evie. Mal knew better than anyone that Evie could only sleep on her side or on her stomach, and she loved to cuddle. She didn’t know how Evie was going to do with being forced to sleep on her back with her arm and leg elevated. 

“Can you put a pillow under my back?” Evie asked. 

“Mmhmm.” Mal helped her sit, then put a pillow under back. She stacked up two pillows and put them at the bottom of the bed and lifted Evie’s leg to lay on top of it. Then, she put a pillow on Evie’s stomach and put her left arm onto that one. She made sure there was a pillow behind her head, then grabbed the remote for the bed and adjusted it so Evie could lay down. 

“M, can you get in bed with me?” Evie’s voice sounded so sweet and sleepy that it pulled on Mal’s heartstrings. 

“Baby, I don’t want to hurt you. I’ll stay right here next to you.” 

Evie pouted, but didn’t argue. Mal set her alarm to wake her up in three hours so she could wake Evie and check on her. It didn’t take long for Evie to fall asleep, and Mal followed soon after. 

\-----

By the time morning came, both girls were still exhausted. Sleeping in intervals was awful, but especially in a hospital. They were so ready to go home and get in their bed. 

They saw Dr. Dryer again and he set up an appointment for Evie to come back in four days and get a cast for both her arm and leg. He made sure that all of Mal’s checks throughout the night were good. Then, he told them that because Evie had hurt her arm and leg on the same side, she wouldn’t be able to use crutches or a cane. As soon as he brought in the wheelchair, Mal was waiting for Evie to complain, but she just nodded her head. Dr. Dryer stressed the importance that Evie still walked around the house for a little bit each day so her right leg didn’t lose muscle, but to do it with another person supporting her so she wasn’t putting weight on her left leg. He gave her some painkillers and then Evie was discharged from the hospital. 

Mal pushed Evie’s wheelchair out to her car. She never imagined that her 23 year old fiancée would have to get around by using a wheelchair, but she would do anything to help her, so they would have to find a way to make it work. She lifted Evie into the passenger’s seat and folded up the wheelchair like Dr. Dryer showed her so she could put it in the trunk. 

As soon as Mal got into the driver’s seat, she realized that Evie was not okay. The blue haired girl’s breathing was rapid, and her right hand was holding the door in a death grip. She looked at Mal with so much fear in her eyes. 

“Hey baby, it’s okay.” She tried to comfort her, but she couldn’t touch her left side without hurting her. Mal got back out of the car and went over to the passenger’s side and opened Evie’s door. She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. “You’re alright, my love. You’re safe.” 

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” Evie whimpered. “Even if you’re a good driver, someone can still come up and hit you.” For the first time since Mal arrived at the hospital last night, Evie started to cry. 

She hadn’t even considered the fact that Evie might be scared of being in a car. Evie hadn’t mentioned it, so she figured that it didn’t occur to her either. 

“I’m so sorry that you were in an accident, E. But I promise you that it’s going to be okay. We will get home safely.” 

“I’m scared.” Evie admitted as tears dripped down her cheeks. 

Mal wiped the tears away. “What if I call Jay and Carlos? One of them can drive the car and I’ll sit in the backseat with you. I’ll keep you distracted.” Evie looked hesitant. “Come on, baby, I know you want to get home.” 

Evie nodded. “Call them.” 

It took about 20 minutes before Carlos and Jay arrived. Mal was still standing in front of the passenger’s side door with Evie in her arms, who was shaking. 

“Hey.” Jay greeted as he came over with Carlos right behind him. “I’m glad to see you’re okay, Eves.” 

“We were worried about you.” Carlos chimed in. “You still look gorgeous though. You would never know you spent the night in the hospital.” 

Despite her pain and fears, Evie actually smiled. Mal leaned in and kissed her cheek; there was nothing she loved more than this woman. 

“I’m going to move you to the backseat, okay?” Mal said, causing Evie to nod. She picked her up as carefully as she could and moved her to the backseat instead. Mal walked around to the other side and got in. “Do you want Jay to drive or Carlos?” 

“Carlos.” Evie mumbled. 

“C, can you drive? Jay, meet us at the house.” Mal ordered. The boys listened without protest; Mal knew they would do literally anything to help Evie feel better.

Mal sat in the middle so that she could pull Evie into her. She realized her mistake immediately with putting Evie on the passenger’s side because now she was next to her injured arm and leg, so she couldn’t cuddle her the way she wanted to. But Mal was able to make it work well enough that Evie could close her eyes and bury her face in Mal’s neck for the whole ride. 

When they got to the house, Mal kissed Evie and reassured her that she did a great job. Jay came over and offered to carry her in, and Mal took him up on it, knowing that very soon she was probably going to be sore from having to carry her fiancée around everywhere. 

“Where do you want to go, Princess?” Jay questioned. 

“Upstairs. I want to shower.” 

Carlos looked towards her. “How does that work with what’s on your leg and arm?”

“They’re called splints. They’re temporary so that the swelling can go down, and then I have an appointment four days from now to get the actual casts. I have to wrap them with a garbage bag so they don’t get wet.” 

“Come on, I’ll help you.” Mal offered. She knew Evie had been dying to shower and there was no way she could do it without help. Jay carried her upstairs and set her on the bed, then went back downstairs with Carlos. Mal followed him up with duct tape and garbage bags. 

Mal went down the hall and grabbed one of the plastic chairs they kept in their combined office (which was full of Evie’s designs and Mal’s artwork). She brought it into the bathroom and put it in the tub. She went over to the bed where Evie was sitting. She noticed she was pouting. 

“Are you hurting?” she asked. 

Evie nodded. “I think I’m going to be hurting for a long time though, so I better get used to it.” 

“I wish I could give you some pain medicine, but you just had it before you left the hospital. It’s going to be a couple hours.” Mal gave her a kiss as an apology. 

“I know. I’m okay, it just sucks. Last night on my way home, all I could think about was how I wanted a big, tight hug from you, and then to get in the bath together. It’s going to be so long before that happened.” 

Mal smiled sadly. “Well, we can’t do the bath, but I can give you a hug.” She kneeled down on the bed in front of her and pulled Evie into her arms. She hugged her tightly while being careful not to hurt her. She held onto her for at least a minute before Evie finally moved. 

“Thank you.” Evie practically whispered. 

“While you’re laying down, I want to get you undressed and wrap your arm and leg. I think it’ll be easier that way.” Evie nodded in agreement, so Mal carefully removed her clothes. She slid Evie’s left leg into a garbage bag and pulled it as high as it could go, then duct taped it around the top of her leg so it wouldn’t move and get water in it. She repeated the process with her arm. 

“I look like an idiot.” 

“You look perfect.” Mal corrected. She kissed Evie’s forehead, then carried her into the bathroom and put her on the chair. She took down the detachable shower head and turned on the water. Once it was warm, she used it to wet Evie’s hair and body. 

“That feels so good.” Evie groaned when Mal started to rub shampoo into her hair. It was a good thing Mal loved showering with her fiancée because it looked like that’s what would be happened for the next two months. She made sure to massage her scalp as she cleaned her hair.

After she was finished with shampoo and conditioner, Mal kissed the top of Evie’s head. Then, she squirted some body wash onto Evie’s loofa and started to clean the rest of her. She was careful not to irritate her left shoulder, which was still really bruised up and sore from her seatbelt. She could see her eyes starting to droop and knew that she was probably exhausted. 

“You must really love me.” Evie said quietly. Mal was kneeling in front of her and scrubbing her right leg and foot. 

She looked up at her with a smile. “Yeah, I’d say I’m kind of attached to you.” She moved the shower head and rinsed all of the soap off of Evie’s body. “All done!” Mal kissed her cheek, then grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around her and carried her into the bedroom. 

Mal laid Evie on the bed and then started to dry her off. She made sure her body was completely dry before she grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the garbage bags off. She winced when she saw Evie’s skin was red and irritated because of it. 

She grabbed a pair of Evie’s underwear and one of her own t-shirts and brought them over. She got Evie dressed and figured that she didn’t need to worry about pants or shorts since they would just be sitting in the house. 

“What do you need?” she asked. 

“Can you get my lotion and brush?” 

“Mmhmm.” Mal disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with the requested items. She really didn’t want to hover, but she didn’t know how Evie was going to do all of this by herself. 

Evie sighed as she seemed to realize the same thing. “M, don’t hate me, but can you do the lotion?” 

“I could never hate you.” Mal squirted some lotion into her hand and started to rub it on Evie’s right arm and leg first. Then, she did her left thigh and the top of her left arm. She took her brush and carefully combed out the tangles in her hair. “Anything else?” 

“No.” Evie smiled softly. “Thank you.” 

“Anything for you.” Mal gave her a kiss. “Let’s go downstairs.” She scooped Evie up and carried her down the stairs. She set her on the couch. “Lay down.” 

Evie followed her directions instantly, making it obvious how tired she was. Mal made sure there was a pillow behind her head, then grabbed a few more to prop up her feet and arm. Once that was done, she covered her with a blanket and handed her the TV remote. 

“I hear the boys in the kitchen. I’m going to go make sure they’re not burning our house down.” She leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.” Evie said, then leaned up again for another kiss. Mal could never deny her anything, so she kissed her and then went to the kitchen. 

She was surprised to see that Carlos and Jay were in the middle of cooking. She saw a lot of ingredients and wasn’t sure what they were making. 

“What are you making?” she questioned. 

“Easy meals that can be reheated.” Carlos explained. “We stopped at the grocery store earlier and picked up some stuff for you guys. I’m going to make a couple meals and put them in your fridge so that you don’t have to worry about cooking.” 

“You don’t have to do that.” Mal protested. 

“Mal, you’re going to be really busy with taking care of Evie.” 

“Yeah, this isn’t something that can be fixed overnight.” Jay chimed in. “It’s going to be a lot of work.” 

“I know.” Mal sighed. “Thank you for helping.” 

“We’re here whenever you need us.” Carlos promised. “What else can we do to help?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to make things easier for her. Going up and down the stairs is going to suck. She can’t use crutches since her arm is broken too, so she has a wheelchair in the back of the car, but that’s not really going to help either.” 

“I’ll go get it.” Jay offered before grabbing Mal’s car keys off the counter and going outside. 

Mal was silent for a few seconds as she just watched Carlos cook. “Hey Carlos?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” 

Carlos stopped stirring whatever was in the pot he was looking into and turned to face her. “Mal, Evie is the strongest person I know. If anyone can recover from this, it’s her.” 

\-----

Evie had been home for three days now and she was starting to get frustrated. 

At first, it was kind of fun that Mal was carrying her around and doting on her. But now, it was getting to the point that it was annoying. Mal was still amazing and Evie appreciated everything she had done, but she wanted to do things herself. She wanted to be able to walk downstairs or into her studio or even shower on her own without needing Mal’s help. 

It was still early in the morning when Evie woke up. She would be off work for the next two weeks, but the first thing she did was check her phone for any emails or messages from Dizzy. Her assistant had done a great job with keeping 4 Hearts up and running in her absence and Evie made a mental note that Dizzy deserved a raise. 

She could hear dishes clinking around downstairs and figured that Mal was probably cleaning up. Their normally tidy house had gotten messy now that they had other things to focus on. Evie really had to pee, and she decided that she could handle getting out of bed and hopping over to the attached master bathroom on her own. 

Evie tried her best to move, but she was still wrapped underneath the blankets. She used her right hand to try and push them off, and she got it most of the way. But the sheets were tangled around her left leg and she couldn’t get it out. It didn’t make it any easier either that she had a few ice packs wrapped up in towels laying on top of her leg splint. 

“Come on, Evie.” She whispered to herself. “You can do this by yourself. You don’t need help to go to the bathroom.” She tried to pull herself out from under the blankets when she felt the pressure on her bladder increase. She winced at the pain through her leg. 

Evie nearly fell out of the bed, but she managed to catch herself by grabbing the bedside table with her right hand. She nearly cried as her bladder reached it’s limit and she felt the liquid run down her legs. 

Evie had never been so embarrassed in her life. She was a grown woman and had peed her pants like a child. She buried her face in the pillow and let out a sob. 

A moment later, she felt a hand on her back. “Hey Princess, what’s wrong?” Mal questioned. She kneeled next to her, but Evie refused to look. Mal already had enough to do and now because Evie was useless, she would have to help clean her up. “Evie, look at me.” 

She moved the blankets back and Evie shivered when she felt the cool air hit her skin. Mal moved the ice packs and then her hand touched Evie’s leg. She heard her sigh. 

“Oh baby.” She whispered. 

“I’m sorry.” Evie sobbed. She finally lifted her head off of the pillow. “I-I didn’t mean to.” 

“Why didn’t you yell for me?” 

“Because I’m sick of being useless!” Evie nearly shouted. “I just wanted to do it by myself.” 

“Shhh, calm down. It’s okay. Let’s get you out of these clothes, yeah?” Mal pulled her shirt over her head, then took off her underwear. Evie was so embarrassed knowing that they were completely soaked with her urine, but Mal didn’t even bat an eyelash. 

Mal carried her into the bathroom and set her down on the chair in the shower. She grabbed a couple garbage bags and covered up her arm and leg, then gave her a quick shower. Evie just stared ahead, hating that she had given her fiancée even more to do. 

“There you go. All clean.” Mal leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She grabbed a towel and dried her off. “I’m going to grab clean clothes. I’ll be right back.” 

Evie waited, because she had no other choice but to sit on the chair. Mal returned quickly and gave her a clean t-shirt and pair of underwear (Evie would admit that the one positive of being at home was that she didn’t have to wear a bra or pants). Then, she carried her downstairs and put her on the couch. 

“I’m going to clean up the bedroom. Do you need anything?” 

Evie pouted up at her. “How do you make it look like you don’t care about doing all this extra stuff?” 

Mal smiled. “Because I don’t care. We’re getting married soon, baby. I thought you knew that I was in it for better or worse.” She kissed her forehead. “This is just temporary. You’re going to get better and things will be normal again. Who knows, maybe next time it’ll be me getting hurt and needing you to help. I could never resent you for needing me.” 

Evie let a small smile light up her face. “Thank you.” She bit her lip. “There is one thing I need, if you don’t care.” 

“Anything.” Mal promised. 

“Can you get me some water and Ibuprofen?” 

Mal nodded with a frown. “Are you hurting?” 

“Yeah, my leg is throbbing.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want one of the stronger pain pills?”

Evie shook her head no. “It’s not that bad, I think Ibuprofen will be okay.” 

“I’m going to get that and some more ice packs.” Evie groaned. “I know they’re annoying, but we have to keep the swelling down. I’ll be right back.” As Evie watched her leave, she knew that she was the luckiest girl in the world to have Mal by her side. 

\-----

“What color are you going to get?” Carlos questioned from the passenger’s seat of the car.

Mal was sitting in the back with Evie, who was clinging to her. Jay was driving the four of them to the hospital, where Evie would finally be getting fitted for her arm and leg casts. The boys were trying their best to talk and keep Evie distracted. The blue haired girl had her eyes closed and her head on Mal’s chest, but she was actually attempting to respond, so Mal was pretty proud of her. 

“I don’t know yet, probably blue.” 

“I think you should get one blue and one purple.” Mal informed her. 

Evie shook her head. “The colors will clash too much. I want them to be the same color.” 

“But _we’re_ blue and purple and we don’t clash.” Mal responded. 

Evie sighed. “I’ll think about it.” 

“I think you should get red.” Jay chimed in. 

“I was thinking black. You would look so badass with a black cast, E.” Carlos said. 

When they got to the hospital, Jay pulled up near the front door. Carlos got out first and set up Evie’s wheelchair, and then Mal carried her out, setting her down gently into the chair. The boys were going to wait for them, so Mal pushed Evie in alone. Evie was still a little shaky, but had definitely calmed down now that she was out of the car. 

When they got to the floor that specialized in orthopedics, Mal checked in with the nurse. It wasn’t long before Dr. Dryer called them back. 

“Hello Evie, it’s nice to see you again.” He greeted. “Can you try and stand for me? I want to move you to the bed.” 

Evie pushed herself up with her right hand and balanced carefully on her right foot. Ever since her accident the day before, Mal had been helping her practice standing up from the wheelchair, couch, toilet, and their bed. Dr. Dryer carefully lifted Evie onto the exam table.

“How have you been feeling?” 

“I’m okay.” 

“Have you been in a lot of pain?” 

“Yeah, it definitely hurts. But I’ve been taking medicine and that usually helps.” 

“Are you taking the pain pills I described?” 

“She’s been taking them at night.” Mal chimed in. “Throughout the day, she’ll take Ibuprofen. But I usually talk her into taking the pain pills at night so that she’s able to fall asleep.” 

“That sounds like a good idea. I can tell you have been using ice because the swelling on both your arm and leg has gone down a lot, so we will be able to do the cast today.” 

Dr. Dryer walked them through each step of getting the cast. First, she would get a sock put onto her arm and leg to help keep her skin from getting itchy. Next, a cotton wrap would be put over the sock so there was extra padding. Then, a special casting material would be wrapped around Evie’s arm and leg, and then molded to make sure it would help heal her bones correctly. Then, the last step was to add the colored material. 

Mal pulled a chair over and watched as Dr. Dryer got to work. He did her arm first, and Mal wasn’t surprised that Evie chose blue. But when it was time for Evie to choose the cast for her leg, she looked at her with a smile. 

“Purple.” 

When the appointment ended, Mal helped Evie slide off of the bed and hop back over to her wheelchair. She sent Jay a text to bring the car around and pushed Evie’s wheelchair out to the front. 

“Wow, blue and purple!” Carlos said as soon as he saw her. “Great choices, Eves.” 

“Lock the brakes.” Mal reminded her, watching as Evie locked the brakes on either side of her wheelchair. “Hold onto the handle and push yourself up.” Evie did as she said. Yesterday, she had struggled with it, but it looked like the practice was paying off. “Good job, baby! I’m going to carry you around to the driver’s side, okay?” 

“Okay.” Evie agreed. 

Mal got Evie into the car while Carlos folded up her wheelchair and put it in the trunk. Then, Mal pulled Evie into her arms and comforted her on the drive home. It was crazy how big of a change Evie went through as soon as she was in the car. She had been happy and smiling before, but was now a shaking, whimpering mess. 

The drive home felt like forever. When they finally got to the house, Evie pulled back from Mal immediately and reached over to pull the door open. She grabbed the door as if she was going to slide herself down from the seat. 

“Hold on a second, babe.” Mal said as she ran over to the other side. They hadn’t practiced getting in and out of the car on her own, so she wanted to be there to help in case she needed it. “Alright, go ahead.” 

Evie held onto the door with her right hand and pulled herself over to the edge. She struggled with getting her left leg out of the door so she could turn her body. Mal put her hands on her hips to steady her and Evie managed to slide out of the car and stand on her right foot. 

“Good job!” Mal praised. “You’re amazing. Do you want me to hold onto you and you can walk back into the house?” 

Evie already looked like she was about to start sweating from just the simple movement of getting out of the car, but she nodded in determination. Mal knew that the hard casts were new and Evie was tired, but she refused to take away her independence. 

Mal stood on Evie’s left side, holding her waist tightly so she could step down on her right foot, then lightly on her left. She moved slow and leaned heavily on Mal, but Evie was actually doing it. Jay and Carlos kept their distance and Mal was grateful that they were giving Evie the time she needed. 

When Evie got to the porch steps, Mal decided that she had worked hard enough. “Do you want me to carry you up?” 

Evie nodded and practically collapsed against her. Luckily, Mal was supporting most of her weight anyway and was able to get a good grip on her. She lifted her up and carried her over to the couch. 

“Let’s get you settled in, okay?” Evie was wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt, so that was fine for lounging around. Mal did take off her shoe, then helped her prop up her left foot. Evie grabbed a pillow and put it on her stomach, then put her arm on top. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Evie admitted. 

“Are you hungry at all?” 

“Not really.” 

Mal had noticed that Evie hadn’t been eating very much the past couple days. She figured that it probably had something to do with either being in pain from the accident, or the actual pain pills making her lose her appetite. She stroked her cheek, being careful of the healing airbag burns on her face.

“Hey M?” she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Evie’s voice. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can you take my bra off? The straps hurt my shoulder.” 

Mal hadn’t even considered that. She knew Evie’s neck, and by extension her shoulders and back, had been bothering her a lot since the accident. It didn’t help that her left shoulder was covered in deep purple bruises. 

“Of course, baby.” She took Evie’s shirt off, removed her bra, then put the shirt back on. “Better?” 

“Uh-huh.” Though Mal could see some relief on her face, she could tell something was still bothering Evie. She gave her a look and her fiancée smiled sheepishly. “Can you sit with me?” 

“Yes.” Mal pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. “I’m going to go grab you some water first. Can I draw on your cast?” 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Let me get my sharpies.” 

Mal grabbed what she needed and said goodbye to the boys, who had to get to work. Jay brought Evie’s wheelchair in and then they left, each giving the blue haired girl a kiss on the forehead before they exited. 

Mal lifted Evie’s broken leg and sat down on the couch where it had been. She put one of the pillows on her lap, then set Evie’s leg carefully on top. While Evie watched TV, Mal got to work on designing her girl’s cast. After she finished her leg, she had Evie sit up and got to work on her arm next. 

By the time she was finished, Evie was enamored with the artwork. There were crowns, dragons, roses, tiny dresses and shoes, and many other intricate details. They all perfectly described Evie’s personality and things she liked (along with having a little bit of Mal mixed in there). She turned her arm and saw that on the inside of her wrist, there was something written. 

_“You are my heart, my brave girl”_

Evie’s eyes teared up as she looked to Mal, who was blushing. She leaned forward and kissed her. 

“It’s perfect. Thank you, M.” she kissed her again. “I love you so much.” 

Mal smiled. “Not as much as I love you.” 

\-----

A week after the accident, Mal decided to host a pizza and movie night at their house. She could tell that Evie was starting to get bored, and she knew how social of a person her fiancée was. Having some friends over would do wonders for her mood. 

Jay and Carlos got there first, and instantly jumped in to help. Mal had to give them some credit; they had been amazing since Evie’s accident. They were always calling to ask how they could help and it took a lot of responsibility off of Mal’s shoulders so that she could focus on Evie. 

Dizzy showed up next with her best friend and fellow VK, Celia. When the younger girls came in, they immediately went to Evie, who was resting on the couch with her foot propped up on the table. 

“Evie!” Dizzy squealed. She gave her a careful hug. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah Diz, I’m fine.” Evie smiled. “Hi Celia.” 

“Hi Evie! You look much better than I thought you would.” She touched the blue cast on her arm. “Your cast is cute.” 

Evie couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s all thanks to Mal. It really pays off to be engaged to an artist.” 

Dizzy turned her arm and as soon as she saw the words written on Evie’s wrist, she squealed. “You guys are so cute!” 

Mal came in, seeing Evie wince at the girl’s loud voice. She came over and pressed a kiss against her temple, then leaned down towards her ear. “Do you want some Ibuprofen? It’s going to be loud and I know we haven’t been around a lot of people in the past week. It’s probably going to give you a headache.” 

Evie nodded her head. “Yes, please.” 

“Are you hurting?” 

Evie shrugged. “Same as usual.” 

“If you want a pain pill, just tell me, okay? No one will care if you fall asleep.” 

“I know.” Evie tilted forward until she could press their foreheads together for a second. “Thanks, M.” 

“Welcome.” Mal left, returning a moment later with a glass of water, Ibuprofen, and Ben, Audrey, Jane, and Lonnie. 

“Evie!” Audrey came over and gave her a hug. “I’m so happy that you’re okay!” 

Ben went over to her next. “Hi, Evie. You know, I can’t believe how gorgeous you are, even with two casts.” 

Most people might have thought Mal would be jealous because of that, but her fiancée deserved all the praise in the world. Evie had always had a lot of insecurities because of the way her mother raised her. She believed that she always had to be perfect, no matter what. Mal had spent many years trying to talk her out of that, and this week had been especially hard. Evie was struggling since she couldn’t wear most of her usual outfits and was usually too tired to do her entire makeup routine. But today, Evie had sat in front of their bathroom mirror and carefully applied her makeup and curled her long, blue hair, even though it took over two hours and Mal had to help with her hair. She was dressed in a t-shirt and athletic shorts (her go to outfit for the past week), which she had argued against because she said it was too casual. Mal had managed to talk her into it (and talked her out of wearing a bra because she knew how much it irritated her shoulders and back), and she could tell Evie was much more comfortable than she would have been in the skirt she picked out. 

A couple minutes later, they heard loud voices and Mal knew immediately who it was. Uma, Harry, and their two-year-old son Milo came into the room. 

“Vivi!” he yelled, reaching out for Evie as soon as he saw her. Mal’s heart melted as soon as she heard the boy call out the nickname he had given Evie as soon as he learned to talk. 

“Milo, listen to me.” Uma interrupted. “Vivi is hurt, remember? You have to be very careful with her. Mal is going to tell you where not to touch.” She looked up expectantly. 

“Do you see these things on Vivi’s arms and legs?” Mal said, putting her hand carefully over the cast on Evie’s leg. “She got hurt, so you can’t touch them. If you touch them, you’ll make Vivi cry. Be gentle.” 

Milo nodded, his big brown eyes wide as he took in the information. He was a smart and compassionate little boy, so Mal had no doubt that he would try his best. 

Uma sat down next to Evie, keeping Milo on her lap. He looked at Evie. “Kiss?” he leaned down and kissed the cast on her arm, then the cast on her leg. 

“Oh my God, he is the sweetest thing in the world.” Evie gushed. “I’m okay, Milo.” 

“Hurt?” 

“Yes, I got hurt. But I’m feeling so much better now that I can see you.” She kissed his cheek. “M, the baby fever is back.” She said as she leaned her head back so she could make eye contact with the purple haired girl, who was standing behind the couch.

“Let’s get you out of those casts and get through our wedding before we talk about babies, okay?” she pressed a quick kiss against Evie’s lips, who laughed. 

“But Milo is so perfect. Don’t you want him to have a friend?” 

“He will when the time is right.” 

Evie pouted. “You’re so mean to me.” 

“Babe, you have to hop everywhere. You really think you’ll be able to hop around if you’re pregnant?” 

Carlos, who had just come in to the room and plopped down on Evie’s other side, looked at Mal in interest. “So Evie will be the one carrying the kids when you guys have them?” 

“Obviously. She always talks about how she can’t wait to be pregnant and feel the baby move and bond with them. I’m not taking that away from her.” 

“You guys are so cute it’s sickening.” Audrey said in fake disgust. 

The pizza being delivered to the house interrupted their conversation. Mal got up to pay the bill and grab the pizzas from the delivery driver. She set them up in the kitchen, grabbing a plate with two slices of pepperoni for herself and one slice of cheese for Evie. 

“Pizza’s here.” She announced. Everyone got up at once and rushed into the kitchen, besides Evie, who was still sitting on the couch. “Here’s your pizza, my princess.” 

“Thank you.” 

Mal came over and sat next to her. “You’re not mad about what I said, are you? If you really want to have a baby, we can look into it before the wedding, but I really think you should be out of the casts first and…” 

Evie smiled and reached up, cupping Mal’s cheek with her right hand. “Relax, M. I was just teasing you. I can’t wait to be pregnant with your baby, but I’m okay with waiting until after we’re married.” 

Mal couldn’t resist leaning in and giving her a kiss. They pulled apart when their friends came back into the room. 

The first movie they watched was a Disney one, mostly because of Milo. He was so excited and focused completely on the screen from where he sat cuddled into Evie’s side. He had selected Evie and Carlos as his two favorite people shortly after his birth (besides his parents, of course) and his decision hadn’t changed since. 

After the movie ended, Harry put Milo to sleep in the guest room while Jay turned on a scary movie. Evie could feel the pain starting to increase, as it often did at night, and she knew she wasn’t going to make it without a pain pill.

“Babe?” she called out. Mal was sitting on the floor in front of her next to Carlos, and she immediately ended their conversation when she heard Evie ask for her. 

“You okay?” 

Evie grimaced when she felt a pain shoot through her leg. “Can you get me a pain pill please?” 

Mal frowned and leaned closer, lowering her voice so their friends couldn’t hear. “Do you want me to kick everyone out? We can go to bed.” 

“No, it’s okay. I like having them here, but I just know I’m not going to make it much longer without medicine.” 

“I’ll be right back.” She ran upstairs to where they kept Evie’s medicine. Everyone else was talking and laughing while they waited for the movie to start. Mal returned a moment later with a pill and a new bottle of water. “Here, baby.” 

“Thank you.” Evie swallowed the pill. “Can you lay with me?” 

For Evie, the hardest part of having a broken arm and leg had been not being able to do anything without help. But after that came the fact that she couldn’t cuddle with her fiancée anymore. They were both very physical people, and she was dying from the lack of touch. 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Mal said. “I’ll sit at the bottom of the couch and you can put your leg on my lap.” 

“No.” Evie practically whined. “What if I lay on my right side? I’ll tell you if I’m hurting. I just need you, M.” 

Mal gave in quickly. “If you make one face like you’re uncomfortable, I’m getting up.”

Evie nodded enthusiastically. She let Mal lay down first, her back against the back of the couch. Then, Evie laid on her right side so that she was facing Mal. It didn’t feel as natural as their usual cuddling because Evie couldn’t intertwine their legs or put her arm around Mal’s waist, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. 

Mal leaned down and grabbed her broken leg, pulling it up so that her knee was against Mal’s hip and her leg was on top of both of Mal’s. “There, so at least it’s elevated.” 

“You know, if I didn’t already believe this before, I definitely do now. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Mal Bertha.” Evie said tiredly as the medicine started to set in. 

“I feel the same about you, E.” Mal kissed her forehead. Evie scooted even closer to her, bringing her left arm up so that it was resting on Mal’s waist. Mal didn’t dare move, just letting Evie lay however she wanted to so that she was comfortable. 

It didn’t take long before Evie passed out. Mal chose to focus on the beautiful girl in her arms instead of the movie, and she just stared lovingly at her, thinking their friends wouldn’t notice (they definitely did). 

When it ended, everyone stood and started to collect their things and say their goodbyes. Carlos turned the lights on and smiled when he saw that Evie was asleep. 

“She couldn’t make it through the whole thing?” he asked. 

Mal shook her head. “She was hurting and took a pain pill, and they make her drowsy.” 

“How has she been doing?” Lonnie questioned. “Is she in a lot of pain?” 

“It comes and goes.” Mal explained. “It’s always worse at night though. She can’t use crutches since her arm is broken too, so she’s been working on hopping around so her right leg muscles stay strong. Most of her problems though are her arm and leg hurting, and then headaches, which is normal after a car accident.” 

“How is her car?” Harry wondered. 

“It’s completely totaled. She was trapped in the car, so even if it wasn’t already fucked, it definitely was after she had to be cut out by the fire department.” 

“I can’t believe she went through all of that.” Jane said sadly. “I’m so glad she’s alright.” 

“Me too.” Mal kissed Evie’s forehead, feeling her girl sigh contently in her sleep. 

“Want me to carry her to bed?” Jay asked. 

“Yeah, if you don’t care.” 

“Might as well give your back a break.” Jay leaned down, carefully lifting Evie into his arms.

“You’re going to have crazy muscles after all this.” Uma teased as she squeezed Mal’s arm. “Harry, will you get Milo?” 

Mal walked all of their friends out, waving until they disappeared from view. She was going to clean up, but she figured that getting in bed with Evie was more important. She went upstairs, smiling at the sight of Evie’s peaceful expression. 

“I know you hate sleeping on your back, but we’re gonna have to elevate these.” She said quietly, knowing that Evie was asleep and couldn’t hear her anyway. She propped her leg up on a pillow, then her arm. Mal crawled into bed next to her and gently kissed her lips. “See you in the morning, Princess.” 

\-----

“Baby, come on.” Evie just pulled the blankets even further over her head. “I’ll pick you up and carry you downstairs if I have to. You need to keep moving.” 

“I’m tired.” Evie said in a huff. She moved the blankets back so she could look at Mal. “My arm hurts and I don’t want to.” 

It had now been three weeks since Evie’s accident, and it was getting pretty hard for her to find the motivation to do anything. She was tired of relying on other people, tired of not being able to wear the clothes she wanted, tired of not going to work, and tired of being uncomfortable. All she wanted to do was lay in bed, but her stubborn fiancée wouldn’t let her. 

“I’m sorry, E.” Mal reached out and held her right hand. “I know that you’re sick of this, but you have to keep your right leg strong or the recovery process is going to take even longer. You have to practice walking.” 

If she was able, Evie would have rolled over. But she couldn’t, so she settled for pulling the blankets back over her head. She heard footsteps walking away and figured that Mal had finally given up. She closed her eyes and decided to take a nap to pass some time. 

Before she could fall asleep, she felt the blankets suddenly get yanked away. Jay and Carlos were standing above her. 

“What the fuck?!” she complained. She tried to reach for the blankets, but Jay held them out of reach. 

Ever since the accident, Jay and Carlos had been super helpful. But Evie was tired of needing help. She just wanted to do things on her own. 

“Come on, get up.” Jay said, leaving no room for argument. 

“No.” 

“Eves, you can’t just lay around in bed all day. The doctor said you have to keep moving.” Carlos added. 

“I’ll do it tomorrow.” 

The curly haired boy gave her a stern look. “You know that won’t happen. Let’s go, just 15 minutes of walking and then you can stop.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

Then, Jay was moving towards her. He wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees and lifted her off the bed. Evie instantly wrapped her right arm around him. 

“Put me down, Jay!” 

“I know you’re hurting, and I know this whole situation sucks. But you’re not going to lay around and act depressed. That’s not the Evie I know.” He looked into her eyes. “Didn’t this accident already take enough from you? You’re not going to let it ruin your personality too, will you?” 

Evie sighed, knowing that he was right. She didn’t protest when he carried her downstairs. 

Mal was standing in the kitchen and her lit up when she saw the blue haired girl. “You got her up!?” 

“Yeah, it was really easy. I just picked her up and carried her. What’s the worst she can do with two casts?” Jay teased. 

“Those casts hurt. She kicked me when she was sleeping and I had a bruise for a week.” Mal came over to Evie. “I’m glad you’re down here.” 

Evie forced herself to smile back. “Can we get it over with?” 

“I’ll go first.” Jay offered. He carefully set Evie down, waiting for her to balance on her right foot. Then, he wrapped his arms around her waist to help her move. Evie could barely put pressure on her left foot, so when they walked with her, they pretty much held her up when it was time for her left foot to move forward. 

Evie walked around the living room, kitchen, dining room, and front hallway. By the time she made the first lap, she was tired and sore. The hardest part of this was that when the person who was walking with her held onto her waist, they had to stand on her left side, which put her left arm in an uncomfortable position. It didn’t help either that she had to try so hard not to put weight on her left foot, even though it felt natural and her brain was screaming at her to just walk. 

“You’re doing so good, Princess.” Jay praised as he took her around for another lap. 

“I need to stop.” Evie insisted once they got to the kitchen. “I wanna sit.” 

“But you’re doing so well.” Carlos told her. “You should keep going.” 

Evie felt the frustration start to build up. Jay kept his arms around her waist, his arm still pressing uncomfortably against her left one. “You’re not listening.” 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Mal asked. She came over to her and Evie looked into her eyes, trying to communicate to her that she wasn’t lying. “What happened?” 

“I need a break. Please.” 

Mal leaned in and put her arms around Evie, causing Jay to let go. She lifted her up to sit on top of the counter. As soon as she did, Evie pulled her left arm close to her chest. 

“Tell me what’s going on.” Mal said. “Is it your arm?” Evie nodded. Mal reached out to grab it and Evie immediately tensed up. A tiny whimper escaped her lips. “Let me see.” 

Evie reluctantly allowed Mal to look at her arm, wincing as she felt another pain. Mal studied her cast for a moment. 

“Carlos, can you get me some frozen vegetables from the freezer?” she turned around and grabbed a dish towel. 

“What’s wrong?” Jay questioned. 

“Her arm is swelling up.” Mal took a bag of frozen peas from Carlos and wrapped the dish towel around it, then put it on top of Evie’s cast. She lifted Evie’s arm up so it was above her heart and held it there. 

“It hurts.” Evie complained. 

Mal leaned up and kissed her cheek. “I know, Princess. You’re okay. We’ll get the swelling down.” 

Jay frowned. “Is this because of me?” 

“No.” Evie answered. “My arm was already hurting before you brought me downstairs, but I didn’t realize it was swollen. It wasn’t elevated when I was laying down, so I bet that’s why.” She bit her lip. She didn’t want to make Jay feel guilty, but she felt like she needed to tell them the next part. “When you guys walk with me, it always puts my arm in a weird position and makes it hurt.”

“Why didn’t you say something before?” Mal wondered. 

“Because there’s not a better way you could do it. You have to stand on my left side so you can basically act like you’re my left leg.”

“We’ll find a better way. No one wants you to be in pain, Evie.” Mal kissed her. “Do you want to go sit on the couch and watch a movie?” 

“Mmhmm.” Mal went to pick her up, but Evie shook her head. “I want to walk.” 

“Of course you do now.” Mal said with a sigh. 

“I’ll help her.” Carlos offered. Mal lifted Evie off the counter and put her down. Carlos wrapped his arms around Evie’s waist from behind and helped her walk. It was awkward, but it kept the pressure off her arm. 

When they got to the living room, Evie sat down carefully. Mal was right next to her in a second. “Was that better?”

“Yes.” 

“See? If you’re in pain, we’ll figure it out.” Mal kissed her again. She propped Evie’s leg up, then propped her arm up. 

“Want me to paint your nails?” Jay questioned. 

Evie couldn’t help but smile. She had the best friends in the world. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

\-----

After four weeks off at work, it was finally time for Evie to go back. She had never been so excited and nervous for something in her life. She was happy that she would finally have something to do each day, but she was scared about how she would move around on her own. 

Mal had gone back to work last week and it had been an adjustment. Evie spent the week at home alone, though one of her friends made it a point to come to check on her each day. Mal carried her down to the couch every morning before she left for work and made sure her wheelchair was next to her so she could get in it. Then, Mal would FaceTime with her at lunch, and called again to check in at around 3, plus she was texting Evie throughout the day. She knew that Mal was stressed about her being alone, but it wasn’t so bad if Evie just got into the wheelchair and stayed in it after she woke up. The hardest part of being in the wheelchair was that Evie only had one hand to wheel with, so if her arm got too tired, sometimes she wasn’t strong enough to push herself into a standing position. 

But now, Evie was finally ready to work. She had wanted to go back last week, but Mal had begged her to take one more week off and Evie gave in. 

They woke up at the same time and Mal carried Evie into the bathroom and set her on the sink so she could do her usual makeup and hair routines. Choosing clothes was a little harder, but luckily it was summer, so she could get away with wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt. She had spent a lot of time going through her closet with Harry, Dizzy, and Carlos to find the best outfits that were fashionable, but functionable with a cast. 

Mal helped Evie get dressed, and then carried her downstairs. Evie rarely ate breakfast, but today, Mal wasn’t taking no for an answer and made her an omelet. 

When it was time to leave, Evie felt her anxiety build. She couldn’t be a disaster in the car. If she got all worked up, she was going to be a mess once she got to 4 Hearts. 

Over the past couple weeks, they had been working on her fear of being in the car. At first, Carlos and Jay were driving everywhere so that Mal could sit in the back with Evie. Her fears had improved a little, and now she could handle sitting in the middle of the backseat with Mal driving. 

Mal carried Evie out to the car first, then folded up her wheelchair and brought it out. They were leaving extra early today so that Evie could get to work before all the rush, and so Mal could get her there and settled without rushing around. 

“You’re doing so good, baby.” Mal praised as she drove down the road. 

Evie could feel her heart pounding, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been in the past. The first few times she got in the car after the accident, she felt like she was going to pass out. Now, she was just really shaky and nauseous. 

After Mal put the car in park, she looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Alright, how do you want to play this? Do you want me to carry you in, or do you want to go in the wheelchair?” 

Evie wasn’t sure what to do. Either way, she was going to look weak and helpless and she knew that her employees would be hovering over her. She figured she might as well be comfortable. 

“Will you carry me, please?” she smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I know you’re probably tired and…” 

“Stop.” Mal interrupted. She gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. “I’m just so proud of you, you know that? This has been a lot to deal with, and I know it’s been hard on you, but you hardly ever complain. You were just brave enough to ride in the car all the way to work, and now you’re going in there. I’m so fucking lucky to have you as a fiancée.” 

Evie couldn’t stop the huge smile on her face even if she wanted to. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, baby girl. Ready to go?” 

Mal lifted Evie out of the car and carried her into the store. Dizzy (who was the only other person there yet) squealed loudly. “EVIE! I’m so glad you’re here!” she was practically bouncing up and down. “What can I do to help?” 

“Grab a chair.” Mal said. She waited patiently until Dizzy pulled a chair over, then set Evie down on it. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to get your purse and your wheelchair.” Mal kissed her then went outside. 

“You guys are so cute!” Dizzy gushed. 

Evie shook her head with a smile. “I’m lucky I have her. She’s the only thing that has kept me sane since the accident.” 

Mal brought the wheelchair in and set it up in front of Evie. She locked the breaks on the wheels. “Okay, show me how you get up.” 

Evie rolled her eyes. “We’ve been through this a million times, M.” 

Mal raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Humor me.” 

Evie did as she said. She used her right hand to push herself up, then reached out to grab the armrest of the wheelchair. She hopped on her right leg until she was facing the right way, then sat down in the chair. “See?” 

“Unlock the wheels and go to the bathroom.” 

Evie knew that this was Mal’s way of reassuring herself that she would be okay today, so she didn’t argue. She unlocked the right break first, then the left. She wheeled around to the back of the store where her office and attached bathroom were. Evie wheeled herself into the largest stall. 

“You’re going to hate me for this, but will you show me how you sit on the toilet?” 

Evie smiled at her. “I don’t hate you. I know you’re just trying to keep me safe.” 

“It’s scary to let you go.” Mal admitted for the first time. “I know that sounds crazy, but when you’re home, I know you’re safe because we’ve practiced and you know what to do. I just need to make sure you’re okay here too.” 

Evie showed her how she moved to sit on the toilet, then got back into her chair. “Anything else?” 

“Your office.” 

Evie wheeled herself to the office, feeling the strain in her arm already. She got over to her desk chair. “Do you want me to sit in it?” 

“Why don’t you just move the desk chair and you can sit in the wheelchair instead?” Mal suggested. She moved the desk chair away and pushed Evie’s wheelchair up to the desk. “See, it’s about the same height. I’m just nervous that your arm it going to get too tired if you’re moving around too much.” 

Evie nodded. “I’m going to be okay.” 

“I know.” Mal kissed her, letting their lips linger. “Are you still doing lunch at noon?”

“I’m going to do my best.” 

“I’ll FaceTime you, and I’ll have my phone on me the whole time so you can text me if you need anything. Let’s go back out front.” This time, Mal pushed her chair out to the front of the store so they could talk to Dizzy. 

Dizzy looked up from the paperwork she was doing when she saw them. “Everything good?”

“Yep.” Mal answered. “Diz, can you just keep an eye on her today for me? I know she’s strong and stubborn, but I need her to be safe.” 

Dizzy looked like she was about to either cry or squeal, which made Evie sigh exasperatedly. “I’ll watch out for her!” 

“She won’t need to. I’m going to be okay.” Evie grabbed Mal’s hand and pulled her over so she could give her another kiss. 

“If your arm gets tired, then take a break or have someone push you around. Don’t overdo it.” Mal whispered, their forehead still pressed together. She gave Evie another quick kiss. “I love you, baby.” 

“Love you too.” Evie smiled as they separated. She could tell Mal really didn’t want to leave, but she was going to be late to work if she didn’t go. Mal kept looking over her shoulder towards her. “Go, M. I’m okay.” 

“I’ll call you at lunch.” Mal promised, then finally left. 

Work started out slow. Evie had been doing some paperwork and designing at home, but she had a lot to catch up on. Dizzy walked her through which papers still needed her signature and what order things needed to be finished in.

Then, the other employees started to come in. The majority were between Dizzy’s and Evie’s ages, and they all got along pretty well. They were so happy to have their boss back, and Evie couldn’t deny that she was just as excited to see them. 

Her next task was to start pulling together some designs for Evie 4 Hearts’ fall line. This had her going back and forth between her office and the back store room a lot, and her arm started to get sore. She had to go to the bathroom and she could feel the strain in her muscles from being overused when she had to lift herself off the toilet. 

“It’s 12, Evie.” Dizzy reminded her when she was in the middle of taking inventory. 

“Thank you.” Evie smiled at her. 

“Do you want me to push you to your office?” 

Evie didn’t want to look weak in front of her assistant. “No, I’m okay. Thanks, Diz.” 

She wheeled herself into her office and saw that she had a missed call from Mal. She called her back, pressing the FaceTime button. 

“There’s my girl.” Mal answered with a smile. “Are you busy today?” 

“I just have a lot to catch up on.” Evie realized that she had forgotten to grab her lunch. 

“You forgot this!” Dizzy came into the room, putting Evie’s lunch bag on her desk. Evie smiled at her gratefully. “I’m going to shut your door so you have some privacy.” She left the room. 

“Sounds like she’s being helpful.” Mal stated. 

“Yeah, everyone is.” Evie opened up her lunch bag and took out the leftover pasta that they had for dinner last night, plus a container of celery and ranch. “How’s your day going?” 

Mal started to talk about her day, and Evie could almost forget the dull ache in her body. She hadn’t moved around this much in a month now, and she was definitely feeling the effects. 

“I don’t know if I said this today, but you look so pretty.” Mal said.

Evie blushed. “Thank you, M.” If only Mal knew how much work it took to do her hair and makeup with only one hand. 

“How is your lunch?”

“It’s okay.” Evie told her as she picked at her pasta. “I’m not very hungry.” 

“You sound tired.” Mal told her. “Please don’t push yourself too much, Evie. Just hang out for the rest of the day. Or I can come get you if you want to start off with a half day instead.” 

“I’m alright. I am a little tired, but nothing too bad. I’ll be okay.” Evie reassured her.

After a few more minutes, they both hung up so they could get back to work. Evie wasn’t going to let anyone see how tired she was. She stayed in her office for a little while longer and drew some designs. After she finished a couple, Evie went to the bathroom, then went to the front of the store to check and make sure that everything was running smoothly. She wheeled herself back to the stock room to finish doing inventory. 

Evie’s back was hurting, so she pulled her wheelchair up to one of the more comfortable chairs in the room. She pushed up with her right hand to try and move to the other chair, but her arm gave out and she fell forward. She reached out with both arms on instinct to catch herself and immediately cried out when her left arm hit the ground. 

Pain radiated throughout her body. Luckily, she hadn’t hit her left leg on the ground, but her arm was throbbing. Evie tried to push herself up so she could sit, but her body felt like dead weight. She started to cry as she got more and more frustrated. 

“Evie?” she heard Dizzy’s voice from further away. 

“Dizzy!” she called out. She was so embarrassed, but there was no way she was getting up on her own. 

“Evie!” Dizzy ran over, kneeling next to her. “What happened? Are you okay?” 

“I fell.” Evie responded. “Can you help me sit up?” 

Dizzy helped her into a sitting position. Evie cradled her left arm to her chest. What is she hurt it again? She was only 2-4 weeks away from getting her arm out of the cast. What if she had ruined her recovery? The thought made her cry even harder. 

“Do I need to call an ambulance? Should I call Mal? What do I do?” Dizzy asked frantically. 

“Don’t call Mal.” Evie insisted through her tears. If Mal found out, she would never let her go to work again. “I need some ice. Can you get me an ice pack or something?” 

“I’ll be right back.” Dizzy left the room. 

Evie cursed herself for being so stupid. She had definitely pushed herself too far, and now she was going to be paying for it. She couldn’t wait to go home and climb into bed. 

“Here.” Dizzy came back a few minutes later with a couple bags of ice wrapped in towels.

“I need you to help me stand.” Evie said. She was doing her best to wiggle her fingers around, but her arm was definitely sore. 

“How?” 

“Grab my right arm and pull.” Dizzy was pretty small, so she didn’t know if she would be strong enough to do it, but this was her only option. She knew she needed to get up so she could elevate her foot and her arm to hopefully keep them from swelling. 

Dizzy grabbed her arm and pulled as hard as she could. Evie leaned heavily against her and used her right leg, and somehow got to her feet. As soon as she was standing, the door opened. Mal came rushing in, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quick. 

“I told Dizzy not to call you.” Evie informed her. She tried really hard to stand as straight as she could, but she knew Mal would see right through her. 

Mal came over and wrapped both arms around Evie’s waist. She carefully turned her so that she could sit down in the chair. “What happened?” 

“I fell. No big deal.” 

“Did you hit your arm or your leg?” 

“I’m fine, Mal.” 

Mal looked at her sternly. “Dizzy said you were crying, so either you hit your arm or your leg or both. I need to know so that I can help you.” 

Evie stared down at her lap. She hated that she had disappointed her fiancée. “My arm.” 

She was surprised when Mal leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’m not mad at you, baby. 

“But I pushed myself too hard and then I got hurt because of it.” 

Mal kneeled down in front of her. “Now you know to take it easy next time. I don’t think you want a repeat of this, do you?” Evie shook her head no. “Let’s take care of you.” 

She grabbed a stack of folded clothes and set it on Evie’s wheelchair, then put Evie’s leg on top of it and added a bag of ice to it. Then, she put a bag of ice on Evie’s arm and elevated it. 

“Dizzy, can you go grab Evie’s purse from her office? I need the Ibuprofen out of it.” Mal ordered calmly. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right back.” 

For the first time, Evie realized that Mal’s hands were shaking. She reached out and grabbed one, then pressed a kiss to the top of it. 

“You scared the fuck out of me.” Mal admitted. “When Dizzy called, she said she came back here and you were laying on the floor crying.”

“Come here.” Evie commanded. Mal stood up, then leaned down to hug her. “I’m okay, my love. I’m right here.” 

“But you weren’t okay.” Mal whispered. “That night of the accident, I’ve never been so scared before. What if I lost you?”

“You’re not going to lose me.” Evie kissed her cheek. “I’m here.” 

Mal practically clung to her, and it made Evie’s eyes tear up again. She was so, so lucky to have Mal in her life. She was the best thing that had ever happened to her. 

“Here it is.” Dizzy announced when she came back in with the medicine and a bottle of water. Evie kissed Mal, then let her pull away so she could take it from their friend. 

After she took the medicine, Mal studied her. “Do we need to go to the hospital?” 

Evie sighed. “I don’t think so. My arm was really sore at first, but it feels a little better now that I’ve been sitting here. I think the cast might have protected it. Plus, I have an appointment in two days anyway. I think it’s okay.”

“If it starts hurting, I need you to promise me that you will tell me right away. I don’t want you to have to be in the cast for even longer, and I know you don’t want that either.” Mal smiled. “Now I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day. Are you ready to go home?” 

Evie couldn’t help but laugh. “You have no idea.” 

\-----

Seven weeks after the accident, Evie had her leg cast removed. Dr. Dryer told Evie not to put too much weight on it yet, and she recommended that Evie do two physical therapy sessions a week to get used to walking on her left leg again. Her arm wasn’t quite ready yet, so they asked her to take another week. 

In that week, Evie started sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car while Mal drove. She was still terrified to get behind the wheel of the car, but she was able to at least sit up front. Mal had her practice every single day, and they started going on evening drives after they were both off work so that Evie could have a little more time getting used to being in the car. 

The next week, Evie’s arm cast was removed. She was so relieved that she could take care of her itchy, dry skin now, and she finally had a little more independence. Her PT sessions continued, and now included her arm too. 

"I think you're ready to have this back." Mal said that night. Evie looked up in surprise, seeing that Mal was holding her engagement ring. 

Evie slid the ring onto her finger with a smile. "You know, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me." 

Mal laughed. "Same." 

It took a total of twelve weeks before Evie could use her left arm and left leg like normal again. It was perfect timing, because she was finally ready to get behind the wheel again. 

For a week, Evie did all of the driving with Mal in the passenger’s seat. Then, one night while they were cuddled up in bed, Evie told Mal that she was ready to drive on her own. 

The next day, they went to the dealership and got Evie a brand new car. Mal couldn’t help but smile at the huge grin on Evie’s face. The next morning when it was time for Evie to leave, Mal stood on the porch and waved to her. 

She would never tell Evie this, but she went inside and cried after when she realized just how brave her girl really was.


End file.
